Five Swords
by Yours The Author
Summary: In this novel adaption of a manga adaption of a video game, Link of must save Princess Zelda from the clutches of Vaati and Shadow Link. To do so, he draws the legendary Four Sword, which ultimately speeds up Vaati's revival. With all swords drawn, Link is now the general leader type Green, the comedic relief Red, the tough guy that loves rom-coms Blue, and the smart chick Violet.
1. Four Links

***The Author crawls out of a pile of "classic" books and unsharpened pencils*** I'm not dead! Look at my not deadness! Isn't it a miracle? All I see is miracles.

So, yeah, it's been nearly a month or something since I last updated my primary project, The Cult of Steve. I'm really, really sorry about that. What with homework, personal issues, and a general writer's block type thing, the next chapter for that story probably won't be out for a while. Sorry.

Also, to all of my very wonderful readers out there in fanfiction land; I am truly, deeply sorry for my outburst in the author's note for the Cult of Steve chapter. I was just so frustrated at not having feedback that I took it out on everyone, which was wrong. It's not your fault, none of yours, and I doubt that you need some anonymous author yelling at you about nothing to add to the stress to your life. I guess I just wanted validation, but knowing that people are actually reading my stories should really be more than enough. I'm really sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I was slapped by a cat over the summer. She was a sweet, fluffy-wuffy main coon, and I just put my face right up to hers and cooed and awed, and then she smacked my glasses clean off. It took me ten seconds to find them under the table. So yeah. Hope that cheers you up.

On to the subject of this story. This was a side project that I've had for quite a while now, a couple years, so it's been through the works. This is a novel adaption of the manga adaption of the game Four Swords, which is owned by Nintendo. I'm an avid LoZ manga reader, but Four Swords has always just been the best to me. I love the round character depth of every single Link, the jokes are hilarious, and the art and story are just great, even if there is a lot of deus ex machina going on sometimes, probably due to the limited amount of pages. So this novel, which I hope can be a fair substitute to the actual manga, will be sarcastic, adventurous, and full of fluffy romance. Because I'm a sucker for the stuff. So shoosh. Normally, I will try to never ever do this, but since I'm stuck on when to force myself back into the cult series, I'll use what free time I can to edit the chapters to this fanfiction that I've had written in the most part and post them, so that you have something to entertain you for a while. To give myself some time, I'll try to make the updates for this story once a week or so, considering there are only twelve chapters plus my bonus ending. This is also an attempt to broaden my audience and get more views. I'm an evil sneak. Shoosh…

Now for trigger warnings and disclaimers. There will be ships, including and limited to Green heart Zelda, Red heart Blue, and Fem!Violet heart Shadow. Just shoosh… your answers will come, in time. Also, the title will be explained in chapter three, so don't worry. Just to be clear; **_THIS IS NOT AN INSERT FICTION. THE AUTHOR WILL BE MAKING NO PHYSICAL APPEARANCES IN THE STORY. DO NOT PANIC._** Okay, good. I'll see you at the bottom of the page.

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda Four Swords game or manga. They belong to their respective creators._**

 ** _Trigger Warnings: Contains fighting, violence, romance, boy x boy, and lack of seriousness._**

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Five Swords

Chapter One: Four Links

Hyrule Castle Town. It was known for its bustling streets of traders and locals, for the sturdy homes and shops that lined the mile long streets, and for the jewel at the center; Hyrule Castle.

What many did not know of, though, was how still and steadily the lights in the street lamps were at night, and how moon beams sifted through the trees and tickled the necks of the sleeping. Castle Town was just as wondrous at night as it was in the day. Except for when bandits show up like they eventually always do.

"It's Jago's gang!" The shopkeeper screamed as boxes and pots were smashed. "Somebody! Help us!"

"Go on, lads," said Jago to his two grunts. Jago and his men stomped loudly around the shop which was a two story house right on the street in front of a streetlamp. They apparently had thought it was a brilliant idea to rob a store in the same vicinity as the royal army. "Take what you like! I love this fine town. We should come here more often."

Jago picked up a large wooden crate and shook it. The shopkeeper's daughter grabbed his arm, crying, "Stop! You can't take that!"

Jago sneered down at the young woman before sliding his arm around her waist. "I like you, pretty one!" he said.

The girl screamed as a window above their heads shattered. A boot booted itself on Jago's face and slammed his head into the floor.

"Run while you can, lady!" Her rescuer, a boy dressed in green, said.

Jago quickly recovered from his blow and unsheathed his sword, his two men glowering at the boy before them. "You're _dead,_ kid," Jago snarled. "Get him, lads!" The three men charged the boy, and the shopkeeper's daughter, certain the blonde would be stabbed to death, covered her eyes. After a few seconds of hearing swords clanging, there was silence. She slowly peeked through her fingers. The three robbers were lying on the ground. The boy was holding a sheathed royal sword in his left hand. "You…" Jago groaned on the floor. "You're Link, the left handed hero! But," his strength left him. "You're just a kid…"

Link sauntered out of the shop as curious crowds began to stir and examine the wreckage. He was swaying his hips as if he were walking away from an explosion without looking back when several royal knights on horseback clattered to a stop by the shopkeeper. At their lead was the first knight of the Hyrulean knights. "We are here," he proclaimed, "and ready to-"

"Too late!" The crowd said in unison. "It's all over now!"

"What." The first knight looked down the road after Link. _Him again?_ He thought. "Stop, Link!" Link slowed his pace. "You're a Hyrulean knight. We're supposed to work as a team. Our unison is our strength. How many times do I have to tell you that you mustn't act on your own?" Link looked back at his captain lazily.

"If I had waited for you guys, the bandits would have gotten away," he began to sashay down an alley as if there was a broom stick tied to his back. "Besides, I work better by myself. Toodles!" He turned a corner and was quickly out of sight.

"Um, sir," a soldier behind the first knight said, "your son—"

"—is _skilled,_ but he's just so arrogant and stubborn!" the first knight moaned. The night had continued uneventfully, and it was now late morning after first breakfast. The first knight was wringing his hands in desperation in the throne room in the second highest tower of the white bricked castle. "What are we to _do,_ your Highness? He doesn't pay attention to any one, not even me, his captain and his father!" he ran his hands through his hair darker blonde hair. "You're the _only_ one he listens to. Won't you please help me, Princess Zelda?"

Princess Zelda was reclined easily on her throne, her golden hair spiraling over her shoulders. Her blue eyes shone kindly. "Do not worry, captain," she said. "Your son is a lot like you. In time, he will become a fine prince—knight." She corrected herself. "He will become a fine knight."

"Thank you for your kind words, my lady." The first knight bowed. "I take my leave now." He hurried out of the room.

Zelda watched him go quietly as his footsteps faded from the red carpet and onto the white stone in the hall. "Okay, he's gone. You can come out now," she said aloud.

Link peered out from behind one of the gauze curtains curtaining her throne. "Thanks, princess," he said. His grin slid into a frown. "Sheesh, no matter _what_ I do, he never stops nagging me. 'Do this.' 'Don't do that.' I _got_ the bandits!" He looked at Zelda. "That's the important thing, right?"

"Well, yes…" Zelda said slowly. "But he _is_ the captain of the guard. Can't you at least _try_ to do what he tells you? Do you see how many gray hairs you're giving him? At this rate, he'll _never_ let you…" she faltered and Link looked at her.

"What, become the first knight in his stead?" he filled in.

"Yes. That." Zelda said. "That's what I was going to say. Of course."

"Well, I'll _try,_ anyway," he said with a roll of his blue eyes. "Anyway, look!" Link produced a small pink flower from inside of his green hat. "I got you this in town today."

Zelda rose quickly to accept it, pink and purple skirts ruffling like feathers. "How beautiful!" she gasped, giving Link a quick kiss on the cheek. "Is it wildflower season already?" Link blushed.

"Yeah, we used to play in the flowers all day long when we were kids. But now you're too busy to go out anymore."

"That's true," Zelda said, holding the flower close to her cheek. "But when you bring the flowers to me, I can see the entirety of Hyrule. And us on our wedding day…"

"We are ready, your Highness."

"Hrn?" Zelda looked up from her day dream at the six women dressed in the colors of the rainbow behind Link. "Oh, yes, thank you, Handmaidens. Let's go to the chapel." Zelda stood, tucked the flower into her dress collar, and gestured to Link. "Come, Link," she said. "Watch as we check on the seal of the Four Sword."

"The seal?" Link asked as the group walked up to the castle's tallest tower. "Why now…?"

The chapel had a rounded roof and a hexagon stone pattern on the floor. The handmaidens stood at five of the points and clasped their hands in front of their faces. Link stood behind Zelda, who stood at the sixth point of the pattern. "I had a vision of evil," she explained. "There's a large black cloud approaching Hyrule. Perhaps _he_ is returning."

Link gasped, "It can't be! That demon was slain years ago!"

"Do you know the story well?" Zelda asked.

Link nodded. "Long ago, the evil wind mage Vaati cast a pall of darkness over Hyrule, kidnapping maidens wherever he went. A single hero appeared to save said maidens. When he drew his sword, the hero split into four, and together they sealed Vaati and his demons beneath a stone seal with the sword, which we call the Four Sword."

Zelda hummed in agreement. "The seal sits in plain sight at an easily accessible temple in Hyrule, though it's really just an ivy covered wall in a field. Pretty much anyone could take the sword out and release Vaati and his demons, but no one is dumb enough to do that when just finding a different weapon is still a viable option, considering that no solid connection has been made between a demon appearing out of a seal and the release of Vaati himself."

"Huh?" said Link.

Zelda folded her hands together. "I fear something may be wrong at the Four Sword Sanctuary. We cannot allow Vaati to escape!" The pattern began to glow as the maidens and the princess focused their energy to thoughts of good and peace.

Link gripped his sword uneasily. _Could that demon really come back?_ He asked himself. _Well… just let him_ try _. I'll smack him down so hard he'll wish he was back in the ground._ The sword quivered with anticipation.

The Blue maiden's hands suddenly flew to her sides. The Yellow maiden looked over at her. "Blue maiden, what's wrong?" she asked. No sooner had her question left her mouth that the Orange maiden grabbed at her own throat in surprise. The Green maiden doubled over. "Princess Zelda!" All six of the maidens cried, as they disappeared in a flash of light.

Zelda stumbled backwards. "The maidens!" she cried. "They've vanished!" Link drew his sword. The light that stole the maidens began to fade and sizzle, becoming a black fire that popped and crackled.

"A demon!" Zelda whispered frantically in Link's ear. The fire slowly took the shape of thirteen year old boy dressed in black with blue eyes and dark hair. He held a sword in one hand and a shield in his other, one that looked just like the shield Link owned…

"Who do think you are?!" Link demanded of it.

The demon acknowledged him with a slight softened expression of amusement gone wrong. "I'm the hero, Link." It responded.

"No you're not!" cried Link. "You're just a stupid phantom!" He slashed at the demon's waist, but the demon's body faded, making the attack go right through him. "That's cheating!" Link whined. The shadowy phantom dashed past Link and grabbed Zelda. "Princess!" Link cried, but a dark wind whipped around the group and Link was blown backwards, hitting his head on nothing, which is the number two way of passing out for a scene transition. It was the last of Zelda that he saw for a long time.

 **Said transition later…**

Link sat up and looked around. For some reason, he was outside. The grass was cut short and neat, and in front of Link was a stone pedestal with a sword in in it. "I must be in the Four Sword sanctuary!" Link said aloud. "But more importantly, where's Zelda? Zelda!" He called, running around in circles. "Where'd you go? Princess Zelda! Where are you?!" Link stopped running and stood in front of the sword. "Well, shoot," he muttered. "Zelda said something bad was going to happen. What am I supposed to do now?"

He looked more closely at the Four Sword. The blade seemed like it would have been a little less than half of his height. It was free of rust and tarnish, though it reflected a dull gray color. The handle was grooved gold, and the round gem at the end was the same cloudy blank color of the blade. The design was eerily familiar. Almost automatically, he gripped the handle with his left hand.

 _Wait a second!_ He thought. _If I draw the sword, I might break Vaati's seal!_ Link stared at his hand. _No,_ He decided at last. _I_ have _to risk it. I have no choice!_ He pulled the sword from the stone and raised it high in the air. "O, mighty Four Sword, lend me your strength!"

The young knight flashed with color for less than a second. And then, there were four Links, each holding their own Four Sword, each dressed in a different color and having slightly different features that set them apart. "Welp, I guess that proves the legend." Someone said.

"Yep," said another.

"Yeah," said another.

"Yes," said the last one.

They looked at each other for a few seconds. "Umm… wow…" said one of the Links, who was wearing green clothes. "It's a little weird seeing three other guys with my… face."

"It's my face, too," said a Link wearing blue. The Link wearing red rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and the Link in purple gave the other Links a half-eyed look.

"But check this math," said the green Link. "Four Links equals four times awesome!"

"No it doesn't," said the purple Link in an oddly feminine voice.

"Is that a trick question?" squeaked the red Link.

"You're playing math games at a time like this? Shame on you!" The blue Link said angrily.

"Whoa, I'm just saying that it'll be easier to beat Vaati. Because there are four of us now."

"Oh, I get it now!" The red Link said happily.

"Why didn't you just say so?" The blue Link huffed.

"If you guys were paying attention," said the purple Link, pointing at the seal. "You would see that we're about to kill something."

"What," the others said, and they all looked up just in time to see the seal burst into a pile of rubble. Rocks flew into the air, slamming and cracking together to form a large stone creature with long arms and legs.

 _"_ _Free…"_ it rumbled. _"I'm finally free! How many centuries has it been again? Three? I've lost count…"_

"Is that Vaati?" the red Link shrieked. "We really did break the seal!"

"I hate to tell you this," said the blue Link. "But we have to lock you away again. We're sorry."

"I'm not sorry," said the purple Link.

The green Link jumped in the air and easily cut off one of the monster's arms with his Four Sword. A vacuuming noise pulled the monster's missing arm back into position. "Not fair!" the green Link yelled. "His arm came back! That's not a legitimate move!"

"I wonder what happens if we cut all four limbs at once…?" the purple Link thought aloud.

The green Link snapped out of his rage quit zone. "On it!" he and the blue Link said at once. They both leapt toward the monster, slammed into each other, and fell to the ground in a heap. "Ow! What do you think you're doing, you idiot?!" shouted the blue Link.

"Shut up!" the green Link yelled back. "It's your fault! I was going to hit his right arm!" The red Link cut off the monsters left leg, but it grew back again. The purple Link repeated the action on the other arm, both attacks having no avail. "Hold up!" said the green Link, waving his hands for attention. "We can't keep flailing around like this! We need to work as a team."

"How do we do that?" the red Link asked.

"I don't need any help, I'm a one man team!" said the blue Link with a laugh.

The purple Link looked down sheepishly. "I've never worked on a team before." He admitted quietly. "I mean, I guess I could try it now for the sake of the battle, but… I won't."

 _Huh?_ The green Link thought in bewilderment. _I'm not really such a jerk face, am I? Yes, you are,_ His thoughts replied. _Shut up, me,_ the green Link thought back. He recalled from his memories as a single Link about something his father said to him as an infant.

 _Son,_ the knight said to the toddler on the floor of their room at the castle, _you suck at teamwork, and this is somehow apparent, despite you not even being able to talk. Because of this, your mother has left, and from now on, I'm going to use this as a passive aggressive reason for valuing my life over yours for no real reason except for background conflict that's never really addressed until a catastrophic event happens that makes me begrudgingly love you as a father should, again for reasons not put in the lime light or even talked about remotely. Have a fun childhood, like mine wasn't. Jerk._ … Why did he remember this conversation?

A rock smacked him in the face, making the green Link realize that the rock monster was now trying to inhale them all. "We're all going to die!" The red Link wailed as he clung to the blue Link, who replied by kicking him in the face and telling him to shut up.

As they wailed and clung to the grass at the prospect of their doom, a pink flower whipped by in the wind, and was somehow visible to all four Links. _That looks like the flower I gave to Zelda!_ They all thought. _I have to help her! I can't lose her!_

Letting go of their holds, they each cut off one of the monsters limbs and, standing in a spin formation, cut the monster's torso down to rubble. The monsters howls faded as the wind calmed. They all stood quietly together for a moment.

Finally, the blue Link broke the silence. "Was that thing Vaati?" he asked. "Well, he _is_ a wind mage," said the purple Link. "That might not have been his true form."

Unbeknownst to the group, a fifth Link lurked behind a large rock and watched them. "Vaati is reborn!" he whispered excitedly. "Thank you, Link. This time, we'll bury _you!_ The fact that there are four of you will only make it that much easier!" He chuckled to himself as he melted through the shadows in the grass.

* * *

Done. Bang. Lyle's got it under control. Don't trust Lyle? _Bust my chops!_ Bang! Okay, anyway.

The first chapter is short. What a surprise. It's also pretty sarcastic. Like I said it would be. Link ended up being sassier than I first wrote him to be. Now there are five sass masters. Also, the reason that Vio is a girl is because of the whole Yang-Yin concept. (Not Yin-Yang, that's incorrect.) A bit of each aspect is within the other, so there is a male aspect of females and a female aspect of males. That's the official reason. My reason is some indulgence that could not be avoided during chapter eight. You'll know when you get there.

So what did you think? Was it good, funny, able to be improved upon? Please let me know what you think, and I'll hopefully see you next week. Until then!


	2. The Fall of Hyrule Castle

Yes! I made the deadline! Anything is possible! Follow your dreams blah blah blah.

So hey I'm back. I'll just go over a few quick things so you can get right to the story. In this chapter of the manga, there was a lot of jumping around from setting to setting, hence the many bold typed transitions you will see. Also, about what Link's dad says near the beginning—that is an actual mistake that I keep reading that line as. Obviously, it's supposed to be "my life, spare his", but I thought that it was so funny when I first wrote this chapter a year or two ago that I kept it. And I did not remove it. So yeah. Also, the "back at the ranch" part is a reference to "The Reptile Room" by Lemony Snicket, one of my favorite authors that I don't own who writes books I don't own. See you at the bottom of the page.

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Chapter Two: The Fall of Hyrule Castle

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, (I mean castle), a shadow of dark monsters flew toward Hyrule Castle Town. Soldiers gathered at the castle with weapons drawn, gaping at the screeching beasts heading for them. On the back of a dragon was the shadowy Link, who somehow managed to show up after literally just being at the sanctuary a couple of miles away. "Fly, my pretties!" he cheered, fake Four Sword drawn. "Tear down Hyrule Castle! There's a new Link in this chain! Ahahaha—puns."

Dragons and hairy wolves flew and climbed toward the castle, fangs and claws drawn at the pitiful army. A group of men scattered as a dragon breathed fire at them. A lance jabbed into the beast's eye. "The seal must have been broken!" The first knight shouted to his men. "Don't let them take the castle!" He severed a dragon head and ran up to the second highest tower in the castle. "Princess, are you all right?!" he cried as he burst through the doors. He gasped. The room was dark. The throne was knocked on its side, and the curtains had been ripped to shreds. The only other person in the room was a thirteen year old boy with a sword in his left hand. Blood was pouring out of his chest. The first knight's sword clattered on the floor. "Link!" he cried as he held his son. "What happened in here? Did you try to fight alone again? At a time like this? You fool!" Link said nothing, because he was dead. The first knight looked at the ceiling. "Please!" he cried. "Gods of Hyrule! Spare my son! Take his life but spare mine!" The captain blinked. "No, wait, that's not what I-"

"My, my," a voice whispered in his ear. "What a good father you are." The first knight looked down at his son in shock. "It's so touching I could cry," Said the shadowy Link in his arms. He slammed his palms on the captain's chest, and the first knight disappeared in a flash of black smoke. His armor clattered to the ground. The shadow Link stood and brushed imaginary dust off of his clothes. He chuckled to himself, "Let me welcome you to the dark world, father."

Not far from the castle, the four Links jogged along a river. "Aren't we there yet?" The blue Link asked impatiently.

"We should see it when cross this river!" said the green Link.

The red Link lagged behind. "Can't we rest a little?" he whined.

"We don't have time for that," the green Link said, looking back at himself. "We have to tell my father what happened as soon as possible."

"Okay, fine," the red Link said. "But first, we need to decide."

"Decide what?" the purple Link asked.

"Names!" the red Link said adamantly. "We can't _all_ be Link, so we'll have to come up with little nicknames for ourselves. Here's my idea," the red Link hurried to the front of the group to make everyone stop. He gestured to himself. "I wear red clothes, so you can call me Red." Red pointed at the blue Link. "We'll call you Blue," he pointed at the green Link. "You're Green, and you're…" he paused at the purple Link. "…Purple. Wait, no, umm… Violet? Darn, all the names I can think of are girl's names. But, then again, you _are_ a girl, right?"

The purple Link looked at Red. "What? How'd you find out?"

"Wait, why is part of me a girl?" Green asked.

"How about we just call you Vio?" Red suggested.

"You can't just go around changing people's names!" Blue said angrily. "I won't answer to anything but Link!"

"It's a great idea!" Red said happily. "I'm a freaking genius!"

"You're a freaking idiot!" Blue retorted. "Look, just because we all look the same doesn't mean we're going to be friends!"

"Well you're no fun." Red muttered.

"Blue is right." Vio said. "Hanging around with you idiots is dangerous for my health."

Blue nabbed her by the back of her tunic. "Say that to my face! Why, I ought to-"

"Oh, _come on_!" Green said in exasperation. "We're all part of the same person. Do you really want to hurt yourself?"

"Don't you dare say this _chick_ is the same person as me! Or I'll rip your head off, too!" Blue snapped. Vio growled at him. "The three of you can call each other stupid nicknames!" Blue continued. "But I'm the main Link! Got it?"

"My nicknames aren't stupid!" Red whined.

"You're not the main Link!" Green said in defiance. "If there's a main Link, it's me! Everybody knows that Link wears green clothes!" Blue looked down at his clothes. Then at Green's. Then at his own.

"You think you're better than me just because you wear green?!" he shouted as he swung his Four Sword down on Green. "We're switching tunics right now! And hats, too! Now take it off!" Green blocked the sword blow.

"Sheesh, why aren't you more laid back and mellow?" Green grunted.

"Good point, Green," Red said. "If we're all the same person, then why are we so different?"

"It's because we're all part of Link's personality." said Vio. "Green is focused and motivated. He's also the side of Link that's more in love with Princess Zelda (Yeah, I said it. Is there a problem with that?). Blue is very hotheaded and impatient. He also is a little bit better at sword fighting then the rest of us." Violet patted Red on the head, which was easy to do, since Red was about five inches shorter than the rest of the Links. "Red is innocent and optimistic. His shortness is a reflection of his personality."

"Oh, I see!" said Red happily. "Vio is super cool! Like the big sister I never had!"

"Well, thank you," said Vio, blushing slightly, "but I prefer calm and collected, reflecting Link's feminine side."

"Feminine side?" Green asked.

"Don't question it."

"Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose." Green said. He glanced at the side of the rocky hill leading up past the river. A woman was scaling up the incline with a little girl by her side. "Hey look," he said, "I think that's Arcy, the castle cook."

"Oh hey, it is. HI ARCY!" Blue shouted at her. The four Links ran to greet the middle aged chef.

"Arcy!" Red cried. "Thank goodness! We got lost when we-"

Arcy grabbed a stick from the ground and waved it at them threateningly. "Stay back, you monsters!" she cried. The little girl clung to Arcy like a life saver.

Red started to cry. "Monsters? That really hurts!" he sniffed.

Green drew his Four Sword and waved it at her to ensure she saw the pointy blade from all angles. "Listen Arcy, I drew the Four Sword and got split into four. But inside, we're all the same Link!"

Arcy wrapped her arms around her daughter, ignoring him. "I used to think you were a good kid But those things you did at the castle… you're a demon for sure!"

Blue looked at the sky questioningly. "Wait, what did I do again?" he asked.

"Hold on," Vio said. "Do you mean a dark, shadowy 'Link'?"

Green gasped suddenly and grabbed Arcy by the shoulders. "The castle!" he began to shake her. "What happened at Hyrule Castle?"

"Don't grab her like that." Vio scolded.

 **Magically skipping to the castle later…**

Dark magic in Legend of Zelda games works really weirdly and fast. Wind blew thickly and dryly in and out of the cracked castle walls. Ivy worked its way through the missing chunks of brick. Humble statues that once lined the halls were chipped, missing limbs and eyes. The four Links stood in the main hall. "All of this in one day?" Green said, looking around the rooms slowly.

"No!" Blue smacked the wall with his fist in anger. Vio shushed him.

"It's awfully quiet in here. Where all of the demons?" asked Red as they listened to the slam echo through the hallways. A clanging sound resonated from one of the halls connecting to the main hall. Green gestured to the rest of the group, and they drew their swords and pressed themselves to the wall near the hall entrance. Someone dressed in full armor walked through the entrance with his own sword drawn. _That looks like Artura's armor… father's top knight!_ Thought Green. _Is he alive in there? Or is he a monster in disguise?_ The knight slashed his sword at the Link's, but they all dodged the blow. "Look out!" Red called, but by then they were surrounded on all sides by knights in armor.

"They _are_ knight of Hyrule!" Blue said

"No!" Vio cried. "Stop! Wake up!" The knights attacked. Blue stabbed one of the knights in chest, and another one in the face. Vio and Red reluctantly followed suit, but Green only blocked the sword blows from the knights.

"What are you doing, Green? Fight or they'll cut you down!" Blue yelled.

"But what if they're only being controlled?" Green asked. "We know these guys. We trained and ate together!" Blue cut off one of the knight's sword arms.

"Well, they're enemies now!" he said, grabbing Green by his tunic. "Do you want to die or something?"

"If the two of you would pay _attention,_ " Violet said in an annoyed tone. "You could see that _we're about to get killed anyway!_ " Blue and Green looked up from their scuffle to see that they were cornered. The knights had formed a wall with their shields and slipped their swords through the cracks. Before they could so much as poke the Links in the nose, they stopped advancing. The sound of someone walking from the left drew the Link's attention to a boy about thirteen years old, dressed in a black tunic and hat.

"Well, well," said the shadowy Link. "Your concern is quite pathetic."

"You," Vio said in surprise. The shadowy Link flicked a finger.

"These are just my toys." He said, and the knights disappeared in a puff of smoke. "You're late. I got tired of waiting."

Green wasted no time with formalities. "What have you done to Princess Zelda?!" he cried.

The demon tapped his head in mock forgetfulness. "The princess? Oh, her. Carrying her off was quite hard. She's rather stubborn. I don't know how you can stand her. Look at this…" He tossed a charm shaped like a Triforce at Green's feet. It was from Zelda's necklace. "If she behaves, I won't mistreat her." The demon continued. "But soon enough the darkness will win and she'll be one of us."

"Who are you?" Blue asked angrily. "One of Vaati's demons?"

"I told you already," the shadow Link replied. "I'm the hero, Link, his living reflection in the dark world. The wind mage Vaati is awake and blowing dark energy into this world." He rubbed his hands in anticipation and grinned widely. "When he is completely reborn, the dark world will replace this one. Then noble Princess Zelda will be offered as a sacrifice."

"Never!" Green shouted, pointing his sword at the shadow Link. "I'll beat you with the power of the Four Sword!"

The shadow Link blinked once. Twice. Then he burst out laughing. "The Four Sword? What a jest. Ha! Unfortunately for you, darkness already taints the Four Sword." The four other Links looked down at their swords uneasily. "Swing it, and I've already won!" Blue roared in rage at the shadow Link and thrust his sword at his chest. The shadow Link drew his own Four Sword and smacked Blue away with a wall of dark energy. Blue slammed into the wall behind him and fell to the floor groaning. Red helped him to his feet. "Now do you get it?" the demon smirked.

Green stepped forward. "What happened to the people of this castle… and my father?" he asked.

"Your father?" said the shadow. "Oh, I sent him and everyone else to the dark world." Green's eye twitched. The shadow started laughing as he said, "He was _such_ a weak man! In the end, he bowed down and begged for his life! Over and over again, he begged to be spared!"

Green gripped his sword tighter. "Liar!" he shouted and lunged. The shadow floated easily out of Green's reach.

"I told you that wouldn't work. The four of you are fools, trying to save a doomed world!" the demon chortled.

"You coward!" Blue shouted. "Hiding in the shadows! Why don't you make like one and fade away!?"

The shadow zapped Blue with dark lightning from his sword. His fangs grew more prominent, and his fingernails became claws. "Don't you _ever_ ," he growled. " _Mock_ the shadows! You think we're weak and insubstantial! Do I _look_ weak? Can't you _feel_ my strength? I'll show you the power of darkness!" He slashed his Four Sword and more dark energy blasted the other four Links backwards. The castle walls were beginning to crumble behind them.

Green staggered to his feet and held his sword aloft. "Four Sword, lend me your strength! Just as in the legend, give us-"

"Don't you get it yet?" the shadow said, standing over him. "It's just a sword now! And _you're_ nothing. I'm the hero, now!" The shadow raised his Four Sword. Green shut his eyes tight. A small circle of light flashed between them. The shadow stopped in mid swing and looked with confusion at the light ball, which had tiny fluttering wings. The shadow Link covered his eyes, shrieked, and dove past the other four Links to hide in a dark corner. The fairy (obviously it's a fairy) circled around the four Links and they disappeared in a misting light. The shadow breathed heavily as he rubbed his trembling hands. "The maidens?" he muttered to himself. "Even when they're sealed, they must still have some power. How lucky for those fools." He tusked. "Light! I hate the cursed light!"

 **Magic misting teleportation later…**

The four Links appeared in a small room with a rounded roof, brick walls and a stone floor. Swords and shields in perfect condition blanketed around a gentle blue crystal that floated between four stone markers. Hovering in the crystal was a woman dressed in blue, hands folded and eyes downcast and sleepy. "Are you well, my heroes?" she asked.

"It's the Blue Maiden!" Green said to clarify for the readers. "Did you save us?"

"Yes," she replied. "But Link, something awful has begun. A terrible ordeal. As it did in times of legend, darkness once again covers Hyrule. The shadow that took me was a phantom created by the wind mage Vaati. I suppose you could call him 'Shadow Link'."

Good, said the author. It took forever to write that last part since I didn't have a name to Shadow, but now I do!

"Shadow Link is a dark reflection of you, Link, but more powerful than any mere shadow. It took all of my will power to send that small light through this barrier. Shadow's power is not yet at its peak. You must stop him before that happens!"

Red's shoulders slumped. "But we can't even beat him now," he protested. "How are we ever going to defeat him?"

"First things first," said Blue, hefting his sword up. "We have to smash that crystal open!" "No," said the Blue Maiden, "that's impossible right now."

"Whaaa?" All four Links said.

"The Four Sword, the only thing capable of breaking this barrier, has been cursed by Vaati, and lost its power. You have to re-energize it by filling it with life force. Only then can you defeat the darkness."

Green looked at his Four Sword. The blade did seem to be rather dull in sheen, compared to even the cheapest of beginner swords in the armory. "Blue Maiden, where is Princess Zelda?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't know." She replied solemnly. "But I can faintly sense her spirit, far away from here."

Blue papped Green's shoulder roughly. "She's alive," he said. "That's enough for now."

The four Links picked up four identical shields from the free floor market. "Hold on, Blue Maiden," Green said. "We'll come back for you soon." And thus, they began to depart through a hole that happened to be in the wall.

"Be careful, my heroes." Her voice echoed in their minds as the blinked in the sunny light on the hills outside of the town. "Travel toward the Eastern Sea, next to the Village of The Blue Maiden. I sense another maiden within the Eastern Temple."

The four heroes walked silently for many miles. At this rate, it would take another day to reach the east sea. Green sighed quietly. "Losing confidence?" Vio asked him.

Green looked up in surprise. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because I _am_ you!" she replied with a laugh.

"Yeah," Green said sadly. "We're all the same. Careless and overconfident. If Shadow Link really is our shadow, then we need to be better than him. More like father, maybe…"

Vio nodded. "Yeah, I'd give us a fifty/fifty chance right about now."

"If we restore the Four Sword, we'll get stronger!" Red said.

"I don't care what it takes, we doing it!" Blue announced.

"Okay, it's settled." Green said with finality. "We're four Links, but one team! Now, let's go!"

"Yay!" They all cheered.

* * *

Isn't that a happy way to end a chapter? I mean I guess. But anyway.

According to my creative writing teacher, it is actually Yang-Yin, not the other way around. You'll get the same thing if you look it up, so you can keep thinking what you want. As I said in the first chapter, Yang-Yin is the official reason Vio is a girl. The real reason is indulgence shut your mouth. Next chapter will explain why the story is called Five Swords. It's a pretty trifling reason, but it's the entire basis for doing this. The first two chapters, I think, are just to help get the story moving. Himekawa didn't even have a truly set design for each of the Links until late chapter two, at the earliest. I'm hoping to really give Vio a moment of character development, but I'm going to need to remember that she's not the only person I have to worry about. I'll try to make sure each Link gets their moment to shine. Don't worry.

I might not be able to be as on time as I was this time because I originally stopped in the middle of chapter three since I had to return the manga to the library and it took me forever to get it again. I managed to finish the contents of Four Swords part two, but part one is largely incomplete. If I have to return the book soon, I might have to go on hiatus or find some online replacement to continue writing off of. Nest chapter is also longer and has more action, so that will be a contributing factor to its timeliness.

But please tell me what you thought of the chapter, how you think I can improve, and trivial things that show you care. Until then!


	3. Erune and Rosie

What's this? An update that _isn't_ for Undertale? How can this beeeeeee?

But, hey, yeah, Five Swords is back. Yay.

So. It's been a while. Like, over a year, I think? Yeah, I know, I'm terrible. But I saw that my sister had gotten Four Swords Part One from her school library, so I decided to try finishing up what I'd started. If you'll recall, the chapters in Part Two are all finished, and have been for a while. Part one, on the other hand, is not. There are a total of six chapters, and I haven't even started on the last three at all. So it'll probably be a while before I get to those, but once they're all done, I'll be able to upload the chapter's I've had finished for a long time up once weekly, or some schedule like that.

But you didn't come for these words; you came for the words below the line! So have fun reading, and I'll see you at the bottom of the page!

* * *

Chapter Three: Erune and Rosie

With the Blue Maiden's advice, the four Links set out for the Eastern Temple, near the Blue Maiden's village. On their journey there, they stopped for a lunch break in a nice clearing surrounded by tall trees. Vio sat under one of said trees and flipped to the next page of a book on hero tips she was reading, with a nice pile of books that she had somehow because reasons waiting for her attention. Red was starting a fire in the center of the clearing to cook some fish he had caught in a stream earlier. Blue and Green were practicing their sparring with each other. Every time they crossed blades, their swords would sparkle with a small silver glow.

"Here I come, Green!" Blue said.

"Bring it on, Blue!" Green replied.

They started to spar faster, counting every metallic clang. "That's one…" they counted. "And two, three, four!" They slowed after a while to rest.

"Each blow puts a little more energy into the sword!" Green puffed.

"I know," said Blue. "But it's such a pain! Isn't there any other way to recharge these things any faster!?"

" _Well…_ " Vio said slowly as she turned another page in her book. "The book does talk about force gems. They're little prisms of life energy that are found in certain places."

"Well, it's better than sparring," Green said, looking at his Four Sword. "Maybe we should look for some force gems."

"Can't you read that book any faster?!" Blue growled, stomping to where Vio sat.

"Don't be in such a rush," she said coolly, not looking up. "It takes time to really learn anything. Try some patience for once."

"Patience takes too long!" Blue snapped as he hefted his sword over his shoulder. "I want to get back at that Shadow Link right now!"

He snatched up one of the books on the pile. "Hey!" Vio said.

"How many books do you need to know how to be a hero? Just be good with a sword and kill stuff!" He turned the book over and scanned it with his eyes.

"There's more to being a hero than brute strength," Vio said in annoyance as she stood and reached for her book. "And for your information, that isn't even a hero book, it's a romantic comedy. Can't you read?"

"Of _course_ I can read! Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"As a matter of fact—"

"Nope. This is mine now. I'm taking it with me."

"No! Give it back! It's mine!" Vio chased Blue around the clearing as he held the book over his head and laughed maniacally.

Green sighed and pinched his brow. Red sauntered over. "Do you think we'll ever get along?" he asked.

"I don't know. I only know that we can't be hasty," Green said. "We have to re-power the Four Sword, rescue the maidens, rescue Princess Zelda, beat Vaati, and seal him again before the darkness gets too powerful. We're totally swamped!"

Red took his hand and tugged him toward the fire. "Well, we can't do it all today, so l suggest that we all sit down and eat."

"Good idea," said Green as they sat on some rocks set around the fire. "I'm glad _you_ can take it easy."

"Yeah," said Red. "I'm just stupidly lucky that way."

"Do you have any idea what you just said?"

"… Fish?"

"Never mind. Hey guys, get over here, lunch is done!"

Vio had Blue pinned to a tree with his arm behind his back, demanding he cry uncle. At the prospect of lunch, she snatched her book from Blue's other hand and walked toward the fire, Blue close behind. They all devoured their meal hungrily without any regard to the possibility that those fish might have been really important fish in their fish communities.

"Say, Vio, I was wondering something," Red said suddenly.

Vio looked up with a fish head hanging from her mouth. "Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"You know how we each have our own Four Sword, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So, did you also notice that Shadow Link has a Four Sword, too?"

Vio thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, he _did_ have a Four Sword, didn't he?"

"Yeah, that's so weird, isn't it? Why do you suppose that is, Vio?"

"Well, let me think." Vio said. She pondered an explanation for a moment. "Well, let's think this through. Shadow Link is a copy of us in the dark world, right?"

"Right…" the other three Links said in unison.

"And at least one of us has a Four Sword, right?"

"Right…"

"So, I think that not only is Shadow a copy of Link, but also, being a Link, can copy our weapons, meaning that he has a shield just like ours, too."

"So what you're saying is," Green said slowly, "there are _five_ Four Swords? Why don't we just call it a Five Sword and be done with it?"

"Because it isn't a real Four Sword, it's only a fake. It probably doesn't have real light powers and stuff like ours does."

"So… Four and a Half Swords?"

"NO!" Vio shouted in a sudden outburst. "It's just Four Swords! Okay!?" Red began to cry.

"Why are you yelling at us?" Green asked, now leaning as far away from Vio as possible.

Vio sighed and regained her composure. "Sorry," she said, patting Red on the back. "I just… lost my temper, that's all."

"No kidding!" Blue said, looking at her admirably. "I didn't know you could do that, Vio!"

"It's probably best that I try not to." She stood up and began to kick at the fire to put it out. "I'm done eating, so we should get going."

"What about us?" Blue asked.

"Fine, are you done…ooh…" Vio looked back at Blue and saw a fish skeleton hanging from his mouth. She licked her lips hungrily. "Well… I suppose I _could_ have another…" She grabbed another fish on a stick and ate it. Blue, sensing her challenging attitude, grabbed two and scarfed them down.

"That one was mine!" Red whined.

Vio was reaching for Green's second serving when he caught her hand. "Okay, I'm calling this a draw," he said.

"But I ate more than she did—" Blue began.

"We should try to get to the Blue Maiden's village before dark, anyway." They put out the fire with some rocks, gathered their things, and walked out of the clearing.

…

A rock that was used to put out the fire twitched slowly, and then opened up a single teal eye. It stared after the heroes for a moment before it rolled away from the clearing and into a small crack in the ground, which went straight down into a wider opening. It plopped softly onto someone's shoulder.

"So," said Shadow Link. "Those fools won't give up, will they?" The rock shifted from side to side near his ear. "What's that? The Blue Maiden's village?" He took the rock off of his shoulder and patted it, then began to tickle it gently. It made a giggle noise. "Well done, my pet," he said appreciatively. "We must make sure that before they restore the Four Sword, we crush them to little pieces!" He clenched the rock and hurled it up to the opening in the ceiling. "Off you go!" He called after it. "Remember to keep an eye on them! Ahahaha- ahem, bad pun." He pointed to the wall he was facing. "It doesn't matter where you guys go, you will never escape my gaze!" His voice echoed. "And, I'm talking to a wall. Yeah." He sighed sadly. "I really just want some friends…"

 _*A few hours later…*_

At last, the four Links wandered into the Blue Maiden's village and came across an unusual sight. A long line of men and women were standing in front of a building with a police sign on it. The people near the front of the line were banging on the door, demanding to be let in. In the middle of the line, a small brawl had begun to break out. "Hey, get back in line!" A woman shouted as a man tried to get in front of her.

"But I've been waiting for three days!" He shot back.

"Hey, when are you going to let us in?!" Everyone yelled.

"What's going on?" Green asked. The other Links blinked in confusion.

A little girl with blonde hair and blues eyes appeared from one of the nearby houses and ran toward the fight. "Stop!" She cried. "Please stop fighting!" She shrieked as someone accidentally shoved her to the ground.

"Hey, stop pushing me!" Someone yelped. "I'm falling!" The little girl covered her eyes as she prepared to be squashed underneath someone when… _Whump!_ She looked up to see four boys dressed in green, blue, red, and purple pushing the crowd back in line with their shields. They all turned to look at her.

"Are you okay?" asked the boy dressed in blue. The girl simply gaped at them. _Four boys with the exact same face?_ She thought.

The young men turned back to the crowd. "Adults shouldn't act so foolishly," the one in green scolded.

"Right," said the one in purple. "It sets a bad example for the children."

"But our children were _stolen_ from us!" someone shouted back at them.

"Huh?" said the one in red.

The crowd gathered around the door, banging and screaming at the top of their lungs, "Let us in!" "Do something!" "Find my boy!" "You have to open the door!"

 _*Like not even five minutes later*_

"Thanks for saving me," the girl said. She had led the heroes back to her home and brought them into the kitchen, where her mother served them cold water. "I'm Erune. It's nice to meet you." She looked up at them all endearingly.

 _She's…as cute…as a doll._ Three Links thought as they blushed at her gaze. Vio sipped her cup. _Mm. Water._ She thought.

"So anyway," said Erune, "ten days ago, a huge storm hit the town, and when it passed, eighteen children were just _gone!_ "

"Eighteen?!" Red gasped. "That's a lot!"

"No one knows anything about it! But…" Erune paused for a bit. "In the square a few days ago, I saw a shadow that looked just like one of my friends that went missing. The people outside think I know something, but I don't."

The door had slowly opened a bit, but Erune's mother pushed it shut.

"Don't worry about your friends, Erune!" said Red.

"With Link on the job, the children are as good as found!" Blue and Green chorused.

"Link?!" Erune gasped. "He's a knight from the castle! Do you guys _know_ him?" The four Links sighed in exasperation and explained the situation. Erune clasped her hands together and looked up at Green with her blue eyes sparkling. "Please, save the village's children!" She said.

"Please rest here for the night. You all must be exhausted," Erune's mother said, ushering them upstairs.

 _*Like, maybe an hour later? There's a lot of time skipping in this chapter…*_

Their room was plain and serviceable, as all rooms should be, with four beds lined up along one wall and a pair of shutters for a window opposite the door. Blue lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Vio sat on her bed, propped up against a pillow and reading a book. Red wrapped his arms around his pillow and sighed dreamily. "Erune is _so_ cute!" he said for the fifth time.

Vio reached over and flicked his ear. "Focus on the case at hand, Red," she scolded.

Red pouted while Blue glared at Vio. "Hey Vio, let the guy dream, alright? Erune _is_ pretty cute."

"Meh," said Vio. "I don't see the appeal, really. I feel like everyone in Hyrule has blue eyes and blond hair."

"Not everyone!"

"Name one person."

"…Shut up."

"I think it's pretty obvious that Vaati is the one behind this in some way," Vio said, changing the subject absently. "The legend said that he'd take maidens for whatever reason. I wonder if that has anything to do with the children—" Blue leapt wildly onto his feet, holding his Four Sword in a defensive stance.

"Blue…?" Red asked.

"Ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" Blue asked. Vio put a finger to her lips and slid off of the bed. She knelt and looked under each of the beds. Then she opened the shutters and peered out into the night sky. Finally, she opened the door and looked down the hallway.

"There's no one here," she said at last, closing the door.

Blue rubbed his forehead. "It must be my nerves or something. I need to fight someone," he said. Vio sat back on her bed and leaned against her pillow. Blue dropped his sword and also sat down, suddenly jumping up a bit and reaching underneath him. He pulled out a rock. "How'd this get here?" he asked.

Vio shrugged. "It might have been in your shoe." The rock was the size of Blue's hand. "Say, has anyone seen Green?" she asked quickly.

"I think he went out to get some fresh air; said he needed to clear his head." Red replied.

"That idiot!" Blue growled. "He should have told someone first."

"He told me…" Red said quietly.

"That isn't the point!" Blue stomped out the door.

"Where are you going?" Vio called after him.

"To give him a piece of my mind! Oh, wait," he doubled back and handed Vio the rock. "Could you toss this out the window for me?"

"Why?" asked Vio.

"Because."

"Aren't you going outside? Why don't you just put it in the yard or something?"

"Maybe we'll get lucky and hit Green with it."

"Then do it yourself."

"I don't feel like it. Please throw it?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

Vio groaned, "Fine," and grabbed the rock from Blue's hand. She opened the shutters and tossed it to the ground. "There, better?" She turned around. Blue was gone. Vio rolled her eyes and picked up the book she'd been reading, not noticing that the stack of reading material beside her was one book shorter…

*You know the drill at this point*

Green leaned on the porch railing, letting the cool air of the night breeze caress him. He sighed, thinking about all that had happened to him in less than a day, from Princess Zelda being kidnapped, to splitting into four, to confronting Shadow Link, and finally ending up here. He missed Zelda dearly, especially the way she smiled at him on the rare occasion that he saw her. He remembered when she wasn't so busy running the affairs of the castle. He remembered something that had happened long ago, a promise he had made to Zelda about their future…

 _"_ _Hurry up, Zelda!" Little Link called behind him at little Zelda._

 _"_ _Link! Wait up! You're really fast!" Zelda called back. Link ran across the field until he reached it: a tall, young birch wood with sturdy branches, overlooking a deep, green valley. Link turned in time to see Zelda stumble into him. "Are we there yet?" Zelda panted. "Are you going to tell me yet?"_

 _"_ _We're almost there, Zelda. We just have to climb this tree." Zelda looked at the tree for a moment before reaching for the lowest branch. She hung by both arms and kicked her little baby legs feebly. Link pushed her up slowly until she managed to crawl onto the branch and cling to it for life._

 _"_ _Oh... I-I don't know about this, Link," Zelda said nervously. Link nimbly pulled himself up next to her and then up to the branch above them._

 _"_ _It's fine," he said, "it's really easy! Give me your hand!" He held onto the branch above him and lowered his other hand down to Zelda. She reached up to take his hand and nearly fell off the branch before Link managed to grab her. Zelda started to cry._

 _"_ _W-wah! I'm scared! I want to get down!" she whimpered._

 _"_ _Hey, it's okay!" Link said gently. "I won't let you fall. Not_ ever. _" He squeezed her hand. "Trust me."_

 _Zelda looked up at him, eyes glistening, before taking his hand with both of hers and letting him haul her up to his branch._

 _This repeated for several minutes, with Link valiantly declaring to never drop her and Zelda looking up at him like he was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen, until they finally reached one of the highest branches on the tree._

 _"_ _Look, Zelda, look!" Link said excitedly, pointing down at the valley. Zelda gasped, eyes sparkling. The valley dropped smoothly and steeply into a series of rolling hills, every inch of the ground covered in tidy blades of spring green grass. Small huts made with white wood and thatched hay roofs dotted the hills, surrounded by a dozen or so black and white cows moving lazily under the clear sunlight and blue sky. On one of the closer huts, a Cuckoo could be seen marching proudly along the rooftop, shaking its red crown and crowing. Gardens of purple flowers ruffled in the breeze._

 _"_ _Oooh, Link! It's so pretty!" Zelda breathed._

 _Link set his hands on his hips and thrust out his little baby chest. "Someday, Zelda, I'm gonna be your knight! And then, I'll be your prince! And I'll fight bad guys and make Hyrule all pretty for you! I promise!"_

 _They watched the cows plod along for a while, arms wrapped around each other when Zelda sat up. "Link?" She asked._

 _"_ _Yeah, Zelda?"_

 _"_ _How do we get down?"_

 _…_

 _FUMP!_

Green jolted out of his memories and looked around. The boards of the wrap-around porch creaked around the corner, and Green peered cautiously only to find Erune, sitting by herself on a bench by the stairs leading to the yard. "Erune," he said, walking quickly to her side, "it's dangerous to be here alone. Does your mother know you're out here?"

"Green…" Erune looked up at him. "I was just saying goodbye to Rosie." She held up a baby doll for him to inspect.

It had big blue eyes and curly blond hair, and it was all dressed up in lace and ribbons and roses. Erune cradled it gently. "I'm a little, sad, but I'm too old to play with dolls."

Green sat down next to her. "But isn't Rosie important to you?" he asked. "You shouldn't let her go just because you're too old. You'll just be sorry later." Erune looked down at Rosie, who looked blankly up at her. _Shoot, I might have just turned her into a hoarder,_ Green thought, but before anything could be done, he was yanked off the bench by his pointy ear. It was Blue.

"Who do you think you are, running off by yourself? We're supposed to be a team!"

"Lay off, Blue!" Green retorted. He and Blue disappeared behind the corner of the house, arguing all the way, while Erune watched in confusion.

"Why are boys so weird?" She mumbled to herself, looking back at Rosie.

 **I dunno, but I have a better idea. Let's play,** Rosie said, smiling.

Erune dropped Rosie, crying, "Eek! A horror movie cliché!"

Rosie giggled and crawled up Erune's leg, staring right into her eyes.

 **I know a place,** she said, **a special place where only kids can go… and play forever!**

 _CLUNK!_ Said the doll hitting the floor.

"Huh?" said the Blue, looking up from Green.

"Oh no!" said the Green, ducking under Blue's grasp to look around the corner. "Erune is gone!"

"What?!" said the Erune's mother, poking her head out the window. She then ran up the stairs and kicked down the Link's door. "Boys, holy crow!" she shouted.

"We heard," said the Vio, picking up her sword.

"I'm on it!" said the Red, jumping out the window.

"Red, no," said Vio running down the stairs.

Green and Blue had grabbed their swords and shields (somehow, despite not going back up to their room) and jumped off the porch.

"Search the village," Green shouted, "and look for clues!" No sooner had he said that then he saw an inconspicuous set of footprints leading away from the house. "Oh, sweet!" said Green. He followed the foot prints, out of the village, down a path, and into a clearing. At a dead end, a small shadow in the shape of a young girl knelt on the ground, sobbing quietly. Green patted the ground around the shadow, calling Erune's name.

"Heh heh heh…" someone chortled. Green looked up, but no one was around but him. "Down here," said the voice. Green looked at the ground, but saw only a small rock about the size of his hand. It blinked a single teal eye at him.

"Eugh!" Green shouted, and scampered through some bushes, only to be confronted again by the rock.

"I saw that," it said. Green turned and ran back. "And that," said the rock. Green looked around wildly. Rocky cliffs with teal eyes seemed to surround him from all angles. "I spy…" the voice echoed, "with my rocky eye… a very frightened hero!"

 _*Is this even a time skip? Who knows?*_

"Green...? Green! You, too?"

Green opened his eyes. Red, Blue, and Vio were looking down at him, the sky above them dark blue, almost black. He sat up and looked around. "What happened?" he asked.

"We split up to look for Erune," Red explained, "but we all got chased by this rock with a red eye, and then we ended up here!"

Blue was watching the area warily, "It looks like the village, but all warped or something." The ground seemed to slope at an angle. Houses had crooked foundations and supports. The paths were marked with white and purple checker board patterns.

"It's a lot like the real thing," Vio agreed, "but really different, too. Kind of like us."

The quiet cheers of children caught Green's attention. Dark figures in a nearby field chased each other about, laughing excitedly. Green chased one of the figures, a young boy with a fancy coat, and grabbed him by the arm. "Hey, kid," he said, "are you one of the missing children? Where are we?" The boy turned and Green stumbled back.

"Hey mister," said the toy soldier before him. "This is a land with no adults, just kids. We get to play all day long." The other figures came forward, a mix of dolls, teddy bears, and other play things. "All play and no work means we're just like toys."

"Come play!" The children chorused.

"You never get tired or hungry," a familiar voice said behind them. The toys parted to reveal Erune, splayed on the ground, now a ragdoll. "You just play forever. It's fun!"

Green drew his Four Sword and raised it high. "Show yourself, Shadow Link!" He cried. "We know you're behind this! Return the children to normal!"

The children disappeared, replaced by thick, purple smoke. The other Links drew their swords.

 **"** **Welcome to the dark world."** A lumpy sphere hovered through the fog, a pale blue crescent in the middle. **"I'm afraid that you're early. Ten years too early to face me!"**

"Okay, we'll just come back later!" Red squeaked. Blue smacked him.

The bluish crescent opened to reveal a familiar teal eye, glaring in concentration. Then with a series of tiny popping sounds, smaller versions of it came into existence. With a roar of laughter, the small rocks blew around their creator, protecting it and effectively slamming into the Links.

"We'll never get to the main eye this way!" Vio yelled as a rock smacked into her shield. Green backed out of range of the rocky tornado and tripped on a randomly placed and labeled toy box. He got an idea.

"Everyone grab a weapon!" Green shouted over the noise, picking up a fancy wooden boomerang. "Start with the smaller eyeballs!"

"Wait," said Blue, "Didn't all the kids get turned _into_ toys? How do we know that's not a kid you're holding-?"

Vio grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows. "I don't know, but I'm still taking this one. "

"Ooh, I call dibsies!" Red snapped up a slingshot.

"Alright, fine," Blue grumped, rifling through the toy box. Swim fins, bug nets, and stuffed rupees (?) flew into the wind before Blue triumphantly held up a hammer as big as his head. "This will do nicely!" he crowed.

Green tossed his boomerang with surprising ease into the wind and smacked a rock off its course. No longer going the speed of sound, it was easily sliced in half by Green's sword. The rock halves vanished in a puff of smoke, and Green's sword glowed a little brighter. "Guys, look! The Four Sword gains energy when you beat a monster!"

"Whoo!" Blue cheered , "Let's get 'em!" Whooping and yelling, the Links smacked the little rocks down like flies and cut them in half, swords glowing brighter and brighter. Soon enough, the only rock left was the main eye.

"There's nowhere left to hide now," Blue grinned, holding up his hammer.

At his words, the rock's eye began to tremble before gushing out thick tears. The Links yelped and doubled back.

 **"** **I m-made all those little rockies! And n-now their gone forever! I'll never get to see them again! Waah!"** It cried.

Red stopped and began to cry too, knee deep in weird rock tears. "Th-that's so sad!" he bubbled, "You're making me cry—huh?" The rock had stopped crying, but the tears were left behind, now dried like cement and trapping him in place.

The rock made a raspberry sound and slammed into the hardened tears, barreling towards Red. Red covered his head and prepared for the worst when he felt something whistle by him. He turned to see Vio beside him, shooting a hail of arrows into the monster's pupil. The monster shrieked and stopped short. The tears at Red's feet broke and set him free.

Blue leapt on top of it and raised his hammer high before bringing it down hard. The rock cracked down the middle, pieces crumbling off into the air. The pieces sparkled and changed from dull brown stones to sparkling crystals of green, blue, red, and purple.

"It's raining force gems!" Red cheered.

Green laughed in relief, the battle finally done, and reached up to catch a gently falling crystal... only to be shoved out of the way by Blue.

"Hey, back off!" Blue yelled. "I killed it, they're _my_ force gems!"

"You want to hog them all?!" Green shouted, pushing back.

"Hey, I fought, too!" Red whined, kicking some dirt at Blue.

"Shut up!" Blue threw a punch, and dirt soon kicked up around the fight.

"My, what an ugly display," Vio tisked, holding a too-cool pyramid shaped crystal worth three hundred game points.

 _*It's like they didn't even try to explain how they got out of the dark world. They just did.*_

The next day, the sun glittered high over the Eastern Sea. The children had all been returned to their homes, and the families had celebrated the rest of the night away. But it was time for the Links to go. Erune stood in front of her mother, at the head of the families of the found children.

"I'll miss you four," she said. "I'm an only child, and I've only ever had Rosie, but you're like family. Please try to get along, and don't fight."

"Well..." said Blue.

"Of course!" Vio finished.

"We always get along!" Red nodded.

"Yep, we do!" Green laughed, then held out his hand. "This is goodbye, then."

Erune reached to take his hand when Green was suddenly yanked back. "Hey, get over here, you sneak!" Blue shouted, knocking Vio over.

"I want to shake hands, too!" Red cried, tripping over Vio and yanking Green down with him.

"Ow! Get off!" Vio shouted, "Your stupid bums are crushing me!"

"I wish there was just one of me again!" Green gagged out from Blue's head lock.

"Are those guys really heroes?" A boy asked. Erune just laughed nervously as the group left the knights to sort things out.

* * *

And... scene! That's it. That's how the story ends. Goodbye.

Nah, I'm just kidding. That's just the end of the chapter.

So, the manga's in black and white, so how did I pick the colors of the dark world? It's pretty simple. Color plays a really important role in the story, so the story artist, Akira Himekawa, uses shading to convey colors. Green's clothes are shown with even dots put together to make a light shade of gray. Red's clothes are similar, but a darker shade of gray. Vio has a very rough texture for her clothes, and Blue has a gradient texture that makes him look shiny. So I looked at the shading in the picture we get of the dark world and described it accordingly. Is it accurate to the game? Probably not, but then again, most of the manga isn't so I don't think it matters.

But what did you think? This chapter is a couple of years in the making, though most of that time wasn't actually for work. Was it good, bad, in the middle? What did you think of the flashback? Technically, that happens in a later chapter of the book, but I put it here for character development. Or something, it's been a while. I can't remember. I also skipped something pretty big in this chapter, something vital to a later chapter, but don't worry, I didn't forget. I'll fit it in later on. I wonder if anyone knows what that important thing is... Anyway, leave a review, tell me what you thought, and stay warm this fall! Until then!


	4. Links Torn Apart

James Birdsong: Cool story.

Me: Thank.

What? _Still_ not an Undertale update? AAAAAAAAAAA- *bleah*

So, yeah, it's another Five Swords update, wheee *confetti* Some of you Undertale fans really ought to give it a try, I think you might like it. Not that it matters if I try to convince you of anything, because you'd have to click on the story to read it, and since it's on the fourth chapter, you'd probably already have made a decision about whether this is worth reading. So, yeah.

Lots of character development! Whoo! The Links are always together, but now they'll get a chance to shine on their own! Can they do it? You'll have to see!

* * *

Chapter 4: Links Torn Apart

Green put his sword back in its scabbard in satisfaction. "We did it!" he said.

After leaving the Blue Maiden's village, the Links had hiked westward for their next destination, and decided to camp the night away beside a river rushing away from the sea, agreeing to try their left hands at river-faring the next day. Now, after spending the better part of the morning carving out a fallen tree trunk with their weapons, their task was complete.

"What a cute little boat!" Red cheered as he skipped around their handiwork.

"Whoa, hold up. Cute?" Blue said. "It's not supposed to be cute. It's supposed to strike fear into the hearts of pirates that dare challenge us on the seas!"

"Pirates?" Vio muttered. "Sea?"

"Hang on." Blue drew his sword again and carved a lumpy skull and cross bones on the side of the boat. " _There_ we go."

"Um... okay?" Green said. "At least we're learning to work together." They pushed the boat into the river and hopped aboard, grabbing the oars they had also crafted.

"We'll beat Vaati easily at this rate!" Blue crowed.

"If we're too cocky, though, we'll fail," Red replied with a wink.

"Thank you, Captain Sunshine," Vio said.

"Next stop: Death Mountain!" They all shouted.

The river slipped through the craggy rocks near Lake Hylia like blue thread, stitching between the green trees towering over the heroes' heads. Red and purple fish flashed their scales under the surface of the water. In the blue and white sky, a darker, smokier cloud began to rumble overhead.

"Traveling by boat was a great idea!" Red said. "It's so fun to paddle down river."

"Yeah," Green smiled and closed his eyes, feeling the water spray on his face. "It's a beautiful day for it. The water is cool and refreshing—"

"And it's fast!" Blue finished.

"That too."

Vio slowed her paddling. "Something's been bothering me," she said.

"Hmm? What is it?" Green asked.

Vio pointed ahead of them. Some distance away, a huge mountain pierced at the sky, with a white ring of smoke encircling its peak. "We're trying to get over there, right?" she asked.

"Right," Green replied.

"So why does it get smaller as we go?" The Links watched as Death Mountain did indeed seem to recede from sight.

"Maybe it's because the mountain is upstream..." Blue started.

"...And we're going downstream?" Green finished.

"Yeah," Red said, "that's got to be it!"

.

.

.

"WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THERE ANY FASTER AFTER I BREAK MY OAR OVER YOUR HEAD!" Blue yelled as he smacked Red on the head with his oar, jabbing Vio with his elbow in the process.

"Ow!" she said loudly.

"Blue, cut it out!" Green shouted. "There was no need to hit Red!"

"Shut up! It's your fault!" Blue shot back.

"Ex _cuse_ you?"

"You act like a leader, but you can't even read a map! You suck!"

"Say that again, you—whoa!" Green grabbed the side of the boat to keep from falling into the quickening rapids.

"If you guys were _paying attention_ ," Vio said, "you could see that _we're about to go over a waterfall!"_

Sure enough, the river had begun to churn and drop towards a narrow waterfall with a cliff splitting it into two paths. The dark cloud rumbled right above them.

"We're gonna crash!" Red screamed. "What do we do?!"

"Right!" Green shouted, paddling as hard as he could.

"Left!" Blue shot back, rocking the boat in the other direction.

"Stop slowing us down!" Green yelled.

"I do what I want!"

"WATCH OUT!" Vio cried.

"AAAGGHH-!"

 _WHAM!_

The roar of the waterfall and the cloud drowned out the echoes of the heroes' cries as they smashed against the cliff and fell into the water...

*Green's Perspective*

Considering how cold the river had looked, Green was a little shocked with how not-wet and not-cold he felt as time seemed to slow around him. He was even more shocked when he fell head first into dry, hot…

"Sand?" Green muttered and he squinted at the stuff slipping through his fingers. He pushed himself up and shook the remaining sand out of his clothes, as well as his hat, which contained his boomerang and Zelda's necklace charm. (It is a well-known fact that Links store all of their belongings inside their hat, and that a Link's hat is an entrance into an infinite storage space.)

Green looked around. The sky above was a deep blue, with few clouds to hide the leering sun. The sandy ground stretched all the way to the horizon. Scraggly palm trees hung their dry green leaves limply over a town of round tents. A few people in strange clothes wandered aimlessly about, selling red pots and purple trinkets. What _was_ this place?

"And for that matter, where _is_ everyone?" Green shouted as he ran in circles. "Red! Blue! Vio! Where'd you all go?" Finally, he stopped and shook his head. "What _ever_ ," he muttered. "There's no rush to find them." Green straightened himself out. "Especially Blue! I swear he just acts like that to bug me." He began to stride through the tent town. "Besides, after all of this time of having to be on a team, I can finally be alone and relax for a change."

"Did somebody say _relax_?" an accented voice said.

Green looked around, pointing at himself. "Hello? Yes, I said the thing."

A nearby tent flap opened, and a lady dressed in elegant garb stepped out. "Greetings, traveler!" She spread her arms wide in welcome. "You must be tired; please rest your feet here. We have a massage special today!" She gestured to her tent as she grabbed Green's arm. A sign hung over the entrance, reading, _Massages from Head to Toe (We are definitely not thieves who told you that)_.

"Um," said Green, "I don't have any money—hey!" The lady dragged him into her tent. A single bed with a fancy looking pillow was the only furniture inside. She tugged his sword and shield off of his back and plopped him face down on the bed.

"Such muscles!" she said as she kneaded his back. "You must be a very strong boy."

Green squeaked in response, tensing under the lady's hands.

"Just lie still for a while," she purred. "Forget all your worries… relax and loosen up…"

Green sighed and slowly released his tension. _Who_ cares _about adventures?_ He thought. _This is so nice… I might just… fall… asleeee…_

 ***Blue's Perspective***

Blue had expected the sudden cold, but he didn't think the river would be _this_ cold. He also didn't remember the wind being this strong, but maybe that was because of the waterfall. Suddenly, he slammed flat on his back on something cold and soft. He didn't think he was at the river anymore.

Blue pushed himself up, fighting against the wind howling in his pointy ears and the… snow? He tugged his cap on tighter as he looked around the dark landscape. "Hello?" He shouted. "Is anyone else here?" The wind kept howling.

Blue tapped his chin and furrowed his brow. "Maybe the river opened a portal to another world…" A smirk slowly spread on his face. "And that snapped us back into just one Link! Which means…" He jumped into the air. "Wahoo! I _knew_ I was the main Link! Ha- _ha—_ wait." He took off his hat and rifled through the contents, pulling out a single book. "Yes! Still got it!" He stuffed the book back in and set his hat on his head. "Once I figure out where I am, I'll finally find out what happened between Feli and Ludwig and—huh? What's that?"

Blue looked down at a hand reaching up through the snow. "Help!" The muffled voice could barely be heard over the wind. Blue drew his sword and smacked the snow with the flat of his blade, making a tiny old woman in dark clothes pop out and land on her feet. "Oh, thank you, hero… uh, what's your name, sonny?"

Blue stuck his sword in the snow and placed a hand on his chest. "Don't you know? I am the one and only Link!" He squeed and clapped his hands. "It's so great to be just me again!" he giggled.

The old lady coughed. "Hero Link, the evil wind mage Vaati has come to this land and cast a freezing wind that has been raging for days. Will you use your valiance to save us all?"

Blue scoffed. "Is that all? I can take care of that, no sweat!"

"What a great hero!" The old lady pointed to a nearby cave. "The wind comes from there, so the mage must be in there as well."

Blue plucked his sword from the snow. "Alright," he said, "I'm going in." He trudged through the snow before stepping into the slippery cave, placing his feet carefully as the wind tried to push him back.

Blue gripped his sword tighter. "The Great Link has come to vanquish you, Vaati!" he shouted. "Now show yourself!"

 _Show yourself!_ The cave echoed, _Show yourself! Yourself!_

Blue paused as the echoes faded. His ears were ringing. Slowly, he began to trudge—

 **"** **What's wrong?"** Blue jolted at the sudden voice. **"** ** _Scared_** **to be alone?** ** _Afraid?"_**

Blue's face flushed angrily as the voice and the wind screamed with laughter.

"Shut up!" He stomped onwards with a new resolve. "Come out and take your vanquishing!"

Someone tapped his shoulder behind him.

"Trying to sneak up on me, eh-?"

Blue turned and stared into the gaping white maw of the old woman.

He froze.

The wind slowed to a haunted whisper.

 _"_ _Vaati is not your only enemy…"_ she chuckled before fading away and leaving a very much ice covered blue hero.

 _*Red's Perspective*_

 _For a river,_ Red thought as he tumbled through the trippy void, _it sure is_ hot. Suddenly, Red popped into existence and fell on a bush.

"Ow! That hurt!" He cried as he rubbed his bum. "Why am I always the one getting hurt? And where am I?" Red stuck his head out of the bush. The red light of a town on fire filled the horizon, dark silhouettes of townsfolk trying to put out the fire barely visible. "That fire is huge! Guys!" Red stood up and tightened the straps of his sword and shield. "We need to help them—guys?" Red looked around the edge of the woods he in was in. "Oh no! I'm all alone!" He moaned.

"Help! Help me!" A little boy with a striped beanie ran to him and hid behind his back. "They're chasing me 'cause they think I'm a thief, but I didn't steal anything, honest!"

A crowd of villagers came into view, holding pitchforks and brooms. "There he is!" The leader of the group shouted. "He robbed us, and then set the town on fire!"

Red raised his hands. "No! Wait a minute!"

"Who's that?" someone asked.

"He says he didn't take anything." Red continued.

"HE'S LYING!" The group roared.

"Well okay," Red said, "let's not jump to conclusions. Let's hear his side of it—kid?" Red turned behind to find a very obvious lack of kid. "Where'd you go-?" _Hey! My sword and shield! They're gone!_ He patted his back in confirmation.

"He's gone!" The leader shouted. "And so is our stuff! We would've gotten him, too, if it wasn't for you, you meddling kid!"

"Wait!" Red cried. "I'm a knight on a quest, and—"

"A knight without a sword? Liar! He must be working with that other kid!" The crowd surged forward and Red ran into the forest, ducking into a hidden alcove. He listened as the angry grumbles of the crowd slowly quieted.

"What am I going to do now? I _lost_ the Four Sword!" He whispered.

"Well thank goodness _they_ left," said the kid next to him.

...

"Give me back my sword!" Red cried, grabbing the kid by the shirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Liar!"

The kid tsked as he wriggled out of Red's grasp. "You're just like those villagers. Didn't you say not to jump to conclusions?"

"Well, um—"

"You never _had_ a sword! It's true!"

"I didn't?" Red rubbed his chin. "Well, maybe I didn't. It could have fallen in the waterfall..."

"Yeah!" The kid grinned. "I bet that's what happened. But..." He produced a small stick from seemingly nowhere. "A knight needs a weapon. You should take this!"

The stick was yellow wood with a round red orb at one end. Red took it and examined it. "Thanks! Now how does it work—?" Red's finger hit a tiny button on the rod.

 _Click!_

 _FWOOSH!_

"Help!" The kid screamed as fire burst from the orb. "The arsonist is back!"

The crowd quickly ran over. "I knew it!" The leader shouted. "That weapon of yours set the town on fire!"

"Um, no," Red mumbled, "wait."

"GET HIM!"

Red screamed as the crowd chased him deeper into the now burning woods, "Green! Blue! Vio! **HELP MEEE!"**

Vio's Perspective

The yellow moon was full in the humid sky, turning the tall pine trees in the clearing into black silhouettes. Knotted, shorter trees and bushes surrounded the clearing, their leaves shifting in the rare breeze.

The brush began to rustle. With a satisfying whack, Vio cut the last bramble away and stepped over it into the clearing. She wiped her brow. "I'm completely lost at this point, but..." she panted, "at least I'm out of that thicket!"

Roots cracked and rocks growled as monsters made their presence known. "I open my mouth one time," Vio muttered. Her Four Sword slashed noiselessly, and the forest soon quieted.

"What kind of forest _is_ this...?" Vio stumbled to a small pond in the clearing. Its placid water was clear and reflected the moon and pines above. She knelt and splashed water onto her face, sighing as the breeze cooled her further. She looked at her reflection.

Even before Link's adventure, he had never paid much attention to mirrors, and his four counter parts were no exception. Still, Vio's ears and face stood out to her. They were rounder and softer than she remembered them being as Link. So was her hair, now that she thought of it...

Slowly, she pulled her hat off her head.

Soft blonde hair slipped and settled just above her shoulders. Her blue eyes blinked. She was...

Vio jumped back from the pond, hat in hand, and tripped over a plant. The plant popped out of the ground, revealing an annoyed Deku Scrub. "Watch it! *PI*" It snapped. Three other scrubs wriggled out of the dirt. "We're building a shrine for our lord here, *PI*, and you're in the way! *PI*"

"Uh, sorry..." Vio said, stuffing her hat under her belt. "Wait. Your lord?" The scrubs nodded and ruffled their leafy skirts. "Is your lord named Vaati, by any chance?"

One of the scrubs cocked their head. "What's a Vaait? *PI*" It asked.

"Never heard of 'em. *PI*" Another said.

"We work for Lord Ganon! *PI*" They shouted.

Vio opened her mouth and closed it again.

"Three cheers for Lord Ganon! *PI*" They cried, rustling away into the bushes. "*PI* *PI* Hooray!"

Vio watched them go. "Ganon?" She muttered. "I know that name... but from where?" She rubbed her chin. "It was from a story about a man from the desert who..."Vio blinked. "I need to find the others."

She broke into a run.

"Are you _sure_ you need to tell them?"

Vio stopped and whipped around. No one else was in the clearing... she slowly raised her head to the sky. Atop the highest pine tree, silhouetted by the moon, was a figure with a hat that curled like smoke.

"Shadow Link."

He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, slipping quietly down from his perch and landing neatly on his feet in front of her.

"What's the point," he asked, "of telling them anything?" He paced slowly around her. "They never listen," he continued, "just fight and argue..." Vio watched him with her eyes. "Eventually you'll realize..." He stopped behind her. "…you don't need them."

"I know what you're doing," Vio said. She swung her sword and stopped it at his neck, the tip inches from his skin. "You want to turn me against the others!"

Shadow blinked, his gaze tracing along her blade, his smile soft and unwavering. Slowly, with a single finger, he pushed her sword away. "Only _you_ ," he said, "can see the big picture." Vio blinked. He pushed her sword further. "The _good_ and the _bad_ ; the _right_ and the _wrong_." Vio's sword hung at her side. "But the others _can't_. And they never _will_."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and stepped closer. " _I_ want to know what you think," he said softly. "I'll listen." He looked up into her eyes. "The others don't want to think at _all_ , just fight." He set his other hand on her other shoulder. **"Tell me** ** _everything."_**

"Let me go..." Vio whispered.

 **"** **I want to hear it** ** _all._** **We are so** ** _similar,_** **you and I..."**

The sound of her sword hitting the ground.

"Maybe..." The sound of her breath. "Maybe you're right. The others would never listen to me anyway."

An arm around her shoulder. A hand in hers.

 _Green!... Green!..._

Hm...?

*Green's Perspective*

Green's eyes blinked open. His nose and mouth were pressed into the pillow. The lady was still massaging his back. He sighed… it was so warm and peaceful… the warm colors of the tent and Zelda's charm hanging on the wall were putting him to sleep—

Wait.

Green shot up. "Zelda's necklace thing!" he shouted, snatching it up quickly.

"Help! Thief!" The woman screamed.

"Hey, you can't say that! You stole it first!" Green yelled back, slinging his sword and shield on his back.

"No one else knows that!"

Green ran out of the tent and through the town. "I need to find the others!" He made for an outcropping of rocks that led to the wide open desert, guarded by two women in matching clothes and spears. As soon as they saw him coming, they crossed the spears over the path.

"Halt!" One of them shouted. "It is forbidden to enter the desert—"

"Haha nope!" Green slid under the spears and kept running.

"Hey!" The other shouted. "You're running into a sandstorm aaand he's gone."

"Maybe we should try standing in front of the path instead of crossing spears," The first woman said.

"Yeah, I guess. But what are we going to tell the Elder? We can't just let some traveler go into the Sacred Pyramid of Plot, can we?"

The first woman, the more experienced of the two, watched the Convenient Sandstorm of Plot Convenience swell. "The Pyramid is sacred because it knows the intentions of those who enter," she finally said. "If he doesn't die in the storm, the Pyramid will know what to do with him."

"Red!" Green shouted into the howling storm. "Blue! Vio—hack cough gack!" He got a mouthful of sand. He thought, _I'm never going to find the others like this—_

And then he ran into a wall.

He squinted up at the dark shape of a pyramid looming over him, promising shelter, if he could find a way in. "Oh sweet—blargh!" He shouted/gagged. He felt the side of the pyramid until he found the opening and fell inside. He promptly threw up a stomach full of sand.

Shaking himself out, he looked down the dark hallway ahead of him, gulping dryly. He drew his Four Sword and shield, stepping slowly forward. Soon, the light of the entrance disappeared and he was in total darkness.

The sound of his footsteps echoed around him for what felt like hours, his eyes slowly getting used to the dark—

 _CRUNCH!_

Green shouted and jumped back.

The broken smile of an old skull greeted him, surrounded by other bones in similar states. "Are these…" he shuddered, "The bones of trespassers?"

A moan began to sound from the piles of bones, thrumming against Green's ear drums. Wretched mummies faded into existence and reached for him. Crying out, Green slashed wildly and subdued the monsters, but…

"N-no!" Green gasped. His Four Sword was smoking black smoke, turning the blade a dull gray. "I killed the monster's, but they drained my force energy!" He leaned against the wall and slumped to his knees. "How could we have gotten separated like this? Was it… all a trap?"

 _"_ _It took you that long to figure it out?"_

Green jumped as an armored foot clanked against the stone in front of him. He looked up to face an armored man with a horned helmet and flowing cape. He held a long sword and a shield with twin snakes on it. The wall behind him could be seen, as if he were only a shadow. _"A single piece of the Four Sword is useless against the power of darkness!"_

Green scurried to his feet and lifted his shield, just as the knight's sword fell heavily against. "If you can hit me, that I can hit you!" Green shouted as he threw his boomerang. It made for the knight's helmet and passed through it silently. "Oh, come one!"

The knight loomed over Green. _"Now, your journey ends here!"_

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuunnnn! Next time: a lame fight and more character development for Red and Blue! It'll be great, you'll see.

So, Vio's part was the part that inspired me to write this story. I spent a lot of time crafting the way I wrote this so that it would be as close to how I read it in my mind as possible. I hope it shows!

Interesting fact: despite Green having the same colored clothes, same eye shape, and arguably the most "Link" like personality, Blue is actually the one who looks most like the original Link! You won't notice until the Links come back into a single one at the end of the manga, but you can see it in the way he holds himself, his facial expressions, and little things like that. It just goes to show that none of our heroes are the "main" Link. They're all equal! Just something I'd point out.

So, I don't have the next chapter of _any_ of my stories ready, so it'll be a while. In the meantime, I've recently read "The Property of Hate", and have fallen in love with the main characters. Hero is a dear, Assock is a cutie-patootie, and RGB is a charismatic and oddly handsome fellow. (Help, I got a crush on a TV! Not really, but it was attraction at first sight.) I highly recommend it, though be warned, it's one of those comics that deals with things in ways that are both obvious and convoluted, which is something I both like and feel dumb about because I tend to not realize things until it's too late and it makes me feel incompetent.

But never mind my problems, how about your problems? Leave me a review (please), tell me what you thought (please), and check out some of my other works (p)! I'll see you when I'm back. Until then!


	5. Deadly Battle at the Pyramid

I'm back again! Yaaaay—

No come back don't leave! Aah, whatever.

So. New chapter. This didn't take as long as I thought, which might show. I ended up speeding the fight along, as well as Blue and Red's get together. I also included the thing I left out of chapter three! And got rid of it just as quickly. It's not like they used it again so it's fine. See you at the bottom of the page!

* * *

Chapter 5: Deadly Battle at the Pyramid

The knight's sword smashed the floor to rubble, with Green narrowly dodging the blow. He leapt at the knight and brought down his sword, which passed through just as silently as his boomerang before.

 _I'm going nowhere, fast,_ he thought as the knight swung his sword into the wall above his head. _I need to fall back._ He turned and dashed away from the fight, making as many turns as he could until the knight's footsteps could no longer be heard.

Outside the pyramid, the wind whispered quietly as the sandstorm finally ceased. The clouds parted, and the full moon shone coldly.

Inside, Green walked as quickly and quietly as he could, feeling the wall with one hand. It was completely dark. "Where's the exit?" He panted to himself. "Who makes pyramid mazes, anyway? What's even the point?" He slumped against the wall and closed his eyes. The only sound was his heavy breathing.

"Vio probably would have figured some way to beat this guy," He said quietly. "Blue would have rallied us together, and Red would have backed us up…" He sighed. "I hope they're okay."

 _"_ _Try worrying about yourself, first."_ Green yelped as the knight materialized beside him, eyes seeming to smirk at the reaction.

Green rolled out of the way of the knight's heavy blows and took off down the hallway again, chased by the knights echoing laughter: _"Run! Exhaust yourself in this labyrinth… and DIE!"_

Green turned a corner and a flash of light caught his eye. "An exit!?" He scurried towards it and stopped, his excitement falling as quickly as it flew. A dead end, with a single brick missing from a wall, letting white moonlight into the pyramid. A skeleton in cheap armor lay under the hole, holding a round stone with a tag attached to it. "This is getting ridiculous!" Green shouted. "I don't wanna die here!" He kicked at the skeleton and the round object popped out of its hand. He picked it up.

 _You found the Moon Pearl!_ It read. _When struck by moonbeams, it will open a portal to the Dark World and back. It may aid you on your journey._

"Well, it's not gonna help this guy any time soon." Green tossed the tag over his shoulder and it landed on the little rectangle of moonlight on the floor. "Wait a second…" Green studied the hole. "Moon light…" He looked at the pearl. "Moon Pearl…" He looked at the square on the floor. "Moon beam… Ah-ha!"

Footsteps. The shadowy knight stormed out of the dark and lunged at Green. "Just in time!" Green crowed, rolling away from the sword and stopping on the rectangle. He raised the dark stone high towards the moon. A cool wind swirled around him and he vanished, just as the knight struck the ground where Green had been standing.

Green reappeared behind him, catching his balance despite the swimming brick walls of the Dark World. The knight, now perfectly solid, seemed angrier than ever. "My turn!" Green swung his sword, clanging against the knight's own.

The knight made to strike again, but the smaller, faster hero whacked him back, slicing the knight's shield in two.

Green held his sword cockily. "Now, we are evenly matched," he said. "Now let's hurry up and finish this; I've got _real_ problems to deal with."

The knight dashed forward. _"You shall stay in this pointless fight sequence until your death!"_

"Never!" Green jumped into the air.

 _KA-SHING!_

The Four Sword broke the long sword cleanly in two, and Green sliced the top of the knight's helmet with the force of his fall.

The helmet cracked, the knight grunting until the helmet shattered and revealed a man with pointy ears, long blonde hair, and confused blue eyes. Green gasped.

"Venezuela!" he cried.

"No, my name is Valensuela. Of the knights of Hyrule. And if you made that mistake about my name, then you must be… Link?" He rubbed his eyes and blinked. "Is it really you?"

"Well, technically I'm—you know what, yes, I am Link. Definitely not just a fourth of him. Nope."

Valensuela stared at his shaking hands. "Link, what… what was I? I'm a knight of Hyrule, not a monster! How could I have attacked a fellow knight?"

Green sheathed his sword. "You couldn't have helped it. I'm just glad I didn't really hurt you. If I had…"He shook his head. "I can't believe Vaati would do such a thing!"

"Vaati?" Valensuela blinked. "Vaati wasn't the one who did this. Not really."

"What? Do you mean Shadow Link? Like a darker me?"

"No… I don't remember who, exactly, but it was something even darker and ominous." Valensuela gazed sadly at the moon peeking through the warped window. "I think that something—or some _one_ —is using Vaati and your Shadow Link to take over Hyrule." He set a hand on Green's shoulder. "Link, we mustn't forget that Vaati isn't the only evil in our world!"

"Something bigger than the wind mage…?" Green shuddered. "What can we do to defeat it?"

Valensuela reached into the collar of his armor and removed a string from around his neck. Attached to the string was a tiny, round, blue gem with an even smaller round blue gem on it. "What's this?" Green asked.

"It's a gem key, one of the four needed to enter the legendary Palace of Winds." He swung the gem on its string gently. "Back when Vaati first tried to take over Hyrule, he built himself a magical tower called the Tower of Winds, with the Palace of Winds at the top. The palace was accessible only with the four gem keys, which were given to four knights of Hyrule to protect with all they had, for generations. Now that Vaati has returned, he has likely returned to his tower. You will need to find all four gems in order to enter the palace and defeat this darkness!"

"Zelda could be up there, too!"

"Yes, it is possible." Valensuela handed Green the necklace. "I wish I could accompany you, but I can't leave the dark world until enough evil has been defeated."

"Are you sure?" Green asked. "I mean, we didn't even try yet."

"We may, but I doubt it would work. In either case, you must hurry. The other knights that guard the keys must be found!"

Green put on the necklace and stuck it under his tunic. "I understand," he said, "I'll free you all as soon as I can!"

Green landed neatly on the sand outside the pyramid. He looked at the Moon Pearl he was holding. "Probably won't need this," he said, tossing it over his shoulder. He looked up into the black sky, the moon still shining over the desert. "…Where is everyone?" He whispered, before beginning the long walk back to civilization.

And so, the pyramid finally knew peace…

Or so it seemed.

"Oof!" Red poofed out of thing air and landed in a sand dune. A shiny blue fairy appeared behind him, fluttering its wings excitedly.

"A hero has been here!" It said in a tiny voice. "I can sense it!"

Red hugged his knees to his chest. "I'm tired, Fairy," he cried. "No matter how hard we look, we can't find my Four Sword or the others or _anything…_ " Tears dribbled down his face.

"Cheer up, Red! Don't cry!" The fairy said. It fluttered near the ground in front of Red. "Look, a footprint! A fresh one, too!"

Red hurriedly wiped his face and examined it. "It looks like mine…" He gasped. "It's Green's! It must be! I just know it!" He jumped to his feet and shouted, "Green! It's me, Red! Where are you!" He turned to the fairy. "Can you track him? Please?"

"Well, I'll try, at least." A sparkly pink vortex opened under them and sent them to—

"A-an _ice cave?"_ Red cried, grabbing himself. "T-this is much c-colder than a d-desert!"

"Maybe, but I sense a hero here, too. Say, who is that?"

Red looked and saw a small figure in a dark cloak, slumped against a cavern wall. He slowly stepped toward it. "H-hello?"

The figure lifted its head and opened its mouth, revealing a freezing white beam of ice. Red shrieked as ice began to form on his body before he grabbed the fire rod he had acquired and burned his attacker to a crisp. It sizzled in a corner.

Red slid along the ground and bumped into a frozen blue lump. "Why does this keep happening to me?" He sniffled.

"Uh, Red, look at what you're up against," said the fairy.

"What? Another one?" He looked behind him and saw a statue made of ice in the shape of a familiar blue hero. Wait… "Blue!" Red jumped up and wrapped his arms around him. "Oh, Blue!" he wailed. "You were always so brave! I mean except when you were hitting me, but still, I can't believe you're dead!" Red wiped his eyes and sniffed. "'A short tempered hero who lived a short life', that's what I'll tell them!" He patted him on the head gently. "Rest in peace, my friend."

"H-hold on a minute!" The fairy cried. "Don't you think you should _try_ to get him out of the ice? You know, with your fire rod?"

"Well…" Red scratched his head. "I don't know… he's so much calmer this way!"

"Red!"

"Oookaaay." He pointed his fire rod at Blue and pressed the button gently. A steady flame blew forth and wrapped around the ice statue, turning it to steam. Blue's tights began to sizzle—

"YEOWWW!" Blue jumped into the air and grabbed his smoking bum.

"You did that on purpose!" The fairy cried.

"Well, the readers expect me to get even… a little." Red winked at the readers and made a thumbs-up. "Don't worry; that line was canon!"

"You're as mean as Blue!" The fairy said.

"Who did that?" Blue yelled. "I oughta—Red?"

"Blue!" Red burst into tears. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Blue stepped away from the water works. "Okay, geez, I get it. You can stop."

"No, really," Red wiped his eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again. I was going to be alone forever."

Blue blinked, and then turned away quickly. "We still don't know how we all got split up," he said.

"It could only have been the work of our enemies!" The fairy said. "You must find the other heroes, quickly!"

"What's with the fairy?" Blue cocked his head at the bouncing light ball.

"It helped me when I was in trouble," Red replied. "Apparently the maidens combined what power they had in their prisons to send it."

"That's right!" The fairy fluttered proudly.

"Well, that's neat," said Blue, "but what happened to your sword and shield?"

Red jolted. "Oh. Well…" he laughed nervously and scratched his head again. "They _kinda_ got… stolen?"

…

"YOU IDIOT!" Blue bonked Red on the head with his hammer. Red began to cry as a literal goose egg formed on his head. It hatched and the gosling flew away. Red cried harder. "That's what happens when you lose important things!" Blue shouted. "Your children leave you!"

"Blue, wait!" The fairy flapped its wings in agitation. "You shouldn't be so hard on him. Besides, he did free you from the ice, remember?"

Blue sighed and rubbed his nose. "Yeah, I guess he did. And we have to go find the others, anyway…"

The fairy flew around. "Huzzah!" It cried. "Such a generous spirit! As expected of our valiant blue hero!"

Blue blushed. "Ahem. Yes. Valiant. That's me."

"Then let's be off!" The pink vortex opened under them again, and they fell through it, landing on top of a dark hill in a dark land.

"Where are we?" Red asked, looking around. "It's dark!"

"I think the audience gets it, Red," Blue said.

"I'm not sure, but I sense another hero!" The fairy said. "As well as… great darkness…"

"Let me guess," Blue said. "We have to go in there?" He point down the hill.

Breaching from a small mountain, a stone building with huge doors faced them ominously.

"That," said the fairy, "was once a temple of light. But it has been abandoned for some time, and thus has become a temple of darkness; a playground for evil."

"Welp," said Blue, "no time like the present!"

He snatched Red by the arm and dragged him down the hill, up the stairs and to the towering entrance. "We're gonna die!" Red whimpered.

The doors suddenly creaked open toward the heroes. The inside was pitch black beyond the threshold. Blue grabbed the hilt of his sword on his back while Red and the fair hid behind him.

"It took you guys long enough," A voice said from inside. "I've been waiting." Out stepped a girl with blonde hair and purple clothes. Red and Blue gasped.

"Vio!"

* * *

 _OH, YES!_

Vio has made her reappearance! "But she was with Shadow!", you're saying, "How'd she get here?" Worry not, your answers will come. Except the part about how Vio got there; we'll just say it was magic. It probably was, anyway.

Did I say Blue and Red would get character development? I meant _next_ chapter. Next chapter is all about those two, with cameos from Green, Vio, Shadow, and a whole cast of special guests! Oh, the humanity!

Please, leave a review, (doitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoit) and I'll see you again soon! I hope…


	6. Temple of Darkness

Heeeere's The Author! Yours The Author, to be specific. So, how is everyone today? Awful? Poorer than average? Great! How's your family? Nonexistent? Tell them I said hi!

So. LoZ once again, and not PTA stuff. At least I know there's at least one person reading this. Probably. Moving on!

Big fight sequence this time! I hope you enjoy it, I spent all of yesterday finishing it up and about twenty minutes today proofreading it, so it should be good. It also made me think of something: If we count only killing major bosses, than Blue beats the most throughout the manga. First there was the rock guy, and now this guy, and then all four of them beat the other guys. Technically, Green "beat" the knight, but it wasn't really a monster fight, so I didn't count that.

One last thing: I'm dedicating this chapter to a reviewer called Souperhero, who probably won't see this but still. Souperhero and I kind of got into a disagreement, which was mostly my fault, because they sent a confusing review, and I got mad and messaged them back, but then they explained what they meant and now I feel bad. I apologized, but still. Not the best way to start a new year.

So, should Souperhero ever come across this chapter: I'm sorry I yelled at you on New Year's, and I hope you didn't take it as hard as I did. This is for you; one of my better fight sequences, I think. And for everyone, too: enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 6: Temple of Darkness

The tower was thin, but so incredibly tall, rising high above the cloud layer and balancing a palace at the top like a plate. The tower seemed to sway in the howling winds.

 **"** ** _What_** **is the delay?"** A voice roared. The clouds around the top of the palace grew black and a round shadow appeared, its red eye glaring at the kneeling Shadow Link and the monsters gathered on the floor below. **"They're vulnerable and at their weakest! Seize the opportunity and** ** _strike them down!_** **"** The monsters chittered in agreement.

"Fear not, my mage," Shadow said, raising his head. "Blue and Red are at the Temple of Darkness. Vio is with them, and as you know… she is one of us. And the power of the heroes is limited while we have Red's sword in our possession."

Vaati blinked thoughtfully. **"...Well done, shadow. Now, who shall I send to defeat those at the temple…?"**

The monster wriggled excitedly, crying:

"ME!"

"No, me!"

"Please, your Greatness!"

A gust of wind blew them all down.

"My mage, the Temple of Darkness is _my_ realm. Let me turn them into empty husks!"

Vaati narrowed his eye at the larger figure beneath him. **"Very well, Big Poe. But if you fail, more than your life will be lost."**

Poe nodded and vanished into the wind.

The round shadow spread its two sets of thin wings wide. **"Go, my dark ones! Block out the cursed light of the heavens! I will bring you a world of supreme evil and the spilt blood of the royal family!"** The monsters gnashed their teeth and shouted to the clouds above them, their cries echoing into the whistling winds.

The roars and growls faded as they reached another tower, smaller and made of roughly carved stone. At its peak was a flat floor with a few crumbling pillars and a domed roof covering half of it. Princess Zelda stood at the very edge of the floor, staring into the oncoming winds. Her hair and skirts floated behind her. She scuffed her foot an inch closer to the edge.

The wind screamed and blew at her, pushing her away by mere inches before dying down to its previous speeds.

"The wind walls won't let you an inch off of this tower, your Highness," said voice behind her. Zelda didn't move as Shadow Link stepped behind her. "And even if they did, you'd just fall to your death. A grisly image, don't you agree?"

"No," said Zelda. "I like heights, thanks to an old friend. But this view is dreary. The clouds are so thick that I can't see a thing."

"It won't be that way for long." Zelda finally turned her head to her captor, who drew closer. "Soon enough, the clouds will part and reveal Hyrule, stained black." He reached for her face. "The sight will be burnt into those pretty little eyes of yours-!"

 _Smack!_

"You're no shadow!" She glared at him as he drew his hand back. "You're more of a faint and twisted echo! Even at his worst, Link would never be as crude as you!"

Shadow sneered. "Show defiance while you can! Soon enough you'll be begging for my help!"

Zelda blinked slowly. "I think, actually, that _you_ will be the one begging for help."

Shadow's face turned red and he stomped off of the tower and into the air, feet swishing in the open wind. _I'll show you!_ He thought angrily. _Just you wait... Princess Zelda!_

 ** _Back at the Temple of Darkness..._**

"Vio!" Red cried and leapt at her with arms wide open. Vio deftly stepped to the side and he ran into the door. "Ouch," he said.

"What do you mean, 'you've been waiting'?" Blue asked.

Vio ignored him. "Green is inside, too." She turned quickly and the tip of her hat nearly hit Blue on the nose. "Come on in."

"Green's here? Great!" Red said. "Finally: the four of us together again! This is gonna be _so good_ —"

Immediately inside the temple was a coffin, large and made of cold stone. Resting on the lid was a Four Sword, with a green stone at the end of the hilt.

"Vio..." Blue said slowly. "What happened?"

Vio lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. "The truth is," she said quietly, "Green is dead."

 _"_ _WHAT?!"_ Blue grabbed the lid and yanked it off as Red fell to his knees by the coffin.

"It's empty!" Blue proclaimed.

Vio turned away from them. "He was burned to death. There was nothing left to bury..."

Red sobbed. "We'll never be together again!" He wailed.

Blue's shaking hand clenched at Green's sword. "Green..." his voice trembled. "HOW COULD YOU?!" He brought it down on the coffin with tears in his eyes. It shattered on contact.

Red's mouth opened and a squeak came out. Blue stared at the sword as it continued to crumble. "...It's a fake." He finally said. "Made of stone." He threw the remaining fake to the ground and turned to Vio. "Is this a joke-!?" They were the only ones in the room.

The stone room rumbled and huge bugs crawled out of the floor. "The Temple of Darkness shall be your grave!" A windy voice boomed as the monsters surged forward.

"Run!" Blue jumped out of the way of a set pincers and turned to Red. "Come on, we got to go!"

Red was still on his knees. He slowly raised his head. "Blue, I... I can't," he whispered. "Vio and Green are gone..." The monsters gathered behind Red.

Blue groaned and drew his sword. He leapt into the fray and sliced buggy parts left and right before grabbing Red's arm and taking off down a hallway.

"Oh- _ho_ ," Big Poe murmured to himself. "What a spirited lad. I can't wait to taste his fear!" He lurked in the shadows, just feet from Red and Blue's view.

"Ugh," said Blue. "I can barely see my hand in front of my face."

Big Poe chuckled out loud.

Blue glared over his shoulder. "Red! Quit your moping!" Red set his head on his knees. "Green and Vio aren't dead! These monsters are just messing with us!"

"I don't know," Red said. "That Vio _seemed_ pretty real."

"Oh, who _cares_?" Blue groaned. "We're only trapped now because we were so busy crying about Green!"

" _I_ care!" Red said, glaring up at him. "Blue, aren't you worried about the others at _all_?"

Big Poe inched closer and laughed again.

Blue raised his head to the ceiling. "Not really."

"...Seriously?" Red grabbed Blue's tunic. Big Poe's face was literally right next to them. "Were you stuck in that ice so long your heart froze? You can even make _me_ mad!" Red yelled.

"Back _off_ , Red," Blue warned.

"HEY!" Poe roared. "PAY ATTENTION TO ME! _I'M_ THE MONSTER HERE!"

...

"A MONSTER!" Red and Blue wailed as they ran away.

Big Poe watched them go. "How am I supposed to scare them silly when they're already there?" he muttered.

Blue smacked into a column and fell on his back. A light moved behind Red and he turned to see what it was. "Fairy!" Red cried. "Where have you been?"

The ball of light bounced nervously. "Sorry, sorry, I'm just scared of evil energy!"

Blue stumbled into them with a bloody nose and an old lantern. "Look what I've found!" he said nasally. "Now we can see our way!"

"Yay!" they cheered.

Suddenly, the wind blew again. Blue stood in front of Red, who grabbed him by the shoulders. Big Poe made his official appearance, surrounded by smoking skulls who rattled their teeth at the heroes. "This dark place is my home, a place of pure evil. Now; watch as I drink the fear in your souls!"

The heroes gaped as Big Poe took his time hovering towards them. _I can't move,_ Blue realized. _I'm terrified. I'm going to die._ Big Poe raised his hand over Blue's head.

"Blue!" Red wailed.

"So delicious," Big Poe purred. "Green and Vio made a wonderful appetizer... but the two of you will make the main course! _It's dinner time!_ "

Red screamed.

"I..." Blue's voice was shaking. "I might have fallen for your tricks..." He raised his face defiantly to the wind monster. "But Green and Vio _never_ would have! You're hiding the truth, so how about we _shed some light on the subject_?!" He raised his lantern into Big Poe's face.

"Gyaah!" Poe yelled. "Puns and light! My only weaknesses!"

He covered his eyes, and the lamp light hit several shiny metal baskets on the walls of the room.

"Torches!" The fairy cried, fluttering near a basket.

"We can use these to drive off the ghost guy!" Blue ran from torch to torch, lighting them slowly with his lantern. This did not go unnoticed.

"Oh, oh no!" Big Poe puffed out a gust of wind and blew out the torches. "We'll have none of that!"

Blue growled, "Then we'll just light them faster!"

Red watched this go on. _Blue...!_ He thought.

"WHY AREN'T YOU GIVING UP?" Big Poe roared and began emitting a vacuum cleaner sound. He took a deep breath, swallowing Blue into his mouth. Blue's lantern dropped to the floor. "Oops." Poe said. "I swallowed him whole."

"Hey, let me out of here!" Blue's muffled voice shouted.

"Oh well!" Poe's body began to twist like a wet cloth. "I'll just eat your soul from the inside out!"

Poe's stomach tightened up and Blue's arms were pressed in place, unable to move.

Suddenly the lights brightened and the audience made an "aww..." sound. "Sorry, contestant number one, but you're out of time!" Red said.

"Huh?" said Big Poe.

Red held out his fire rod, which glimmered in the fully lit room. "I used this, so it was easy to _light up your life!"_ he said.

"Good job, Red!" said the fairy

"NOOOOOO!" Poe wailed, covering his eyes and untwisting his body.

The space Blue was in untightened and Blue grabbed his sword, raising it point down. "Prepare to face the heroic might of Blue Link!" he shouted. He stabbed through Poe's stomach and popped him like an evil balloon.

"Hooray!" Red cheered.

Blue's sword thrummed. Red and Blue stared as the sword glowed white. "The Four Sword...!"

 _Elsewhere..._

Green stopped short. Luckily, he was on a flat place on the mountain, so he didn't worry about falling. "What was that?" he felt it again—a tingle on his spine, like magic. He drew his Four Sword and gasped and the pulsing white light on his blade.

 _Elsewhere-er..._

Vio stifled a gasp. The Four Sword—Red's Four Sword—thrummed on the low pedestal. Vio raised her own, letting the light enter her blade—

"Stop it!" Shadow Link stomped the light out of Red's blade like a fire. "You're a creature of darkness now," he said. "Don't forget that."

Vio lowered her sword quietly before turning to him. "I won't," she said.

Shadow nodded. "Good. _"_

 _Yet elsewhere-er..._

"It stopped," Green noted as his sword ceased thrumming. "But that means that everyone else is okay." He looked up the cliff face. A white cloud ring and puffs of gray-purple smoke rose into the blue sky above the red rocks and green trees below. _I have to get to Death Mountain_ , he thought. _It's where we were going before, so that must be where I'll find the others!_ He began his climb up the cliff once again.

End of Five Swords Part 1

* * *

Ooh, dramatic! I like that!

No, I'm not going to make this into separate stories, Part 2 will continue right here. This is just to signify that Part 1 of the manga ended here. So, don't worry!

You want fluffy romance? You'll _get_ fluffy romance—next part. Yeah, nothing all that sugary happened so far, but chapter 8—whoo! Just you wait and see. Speaking of new chapters, I think I'll update once a week, starting this...Sunday. That's an easy day to remember. I finished all of Part 2 before now, so I'll spend some time editing those chapters before sending them up.

So, was this a good fight? I feel like I keep making the final blow feel anticlimactic or something, but tell me what you thought! I'll see you this Sunday.


	7. Climb Death Mountain!

Today is Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Gather around for a tale of semi-reunion and betrayal! Chapter 7 of Five Swords is HERE!

So I'm back. Yay. I made the deadline, just as I promised. Although, to be honest, it seems most readers use the opportunity of a Five Swords update to read my PTA fanfiction... I can't say I know why.

Technically, part two starts up here, but like I said, I'm not splitting it up into separate parts. It just seems that would be a waste of time. So, here we are. I hope you enjoy this, I edited it on two different days, and I hope it shows!

* * *

Five Swords Part 2

Chapter 7: Climb Death Mountain!

The sky was slowly being covered by gray clouds. Their shadows passed along the dusty rocks that cragged and rose out of the mountain. The dry clay went for miles in all directions. The sun was white, and high in the sky. The ground began to tremble, quietly at first, but growing louder and stronger. **_Heroes are coming to climb Death Mountain!_** something whispered in the shade of the stones. A hairy foot with three clawed toes stomped on the ground, cracking the rocks around it. The thing lumbered on, growling quietly to itself as it blinked in the hot light. Rocks tumbled down the side of the mountain. **_But those heroes will never defeat a Hinox! Go, beast, and kill them!_** The Hinox slammed down its foot and sent more boulders clunking down towards a blonde boy in green…

Green wiped his brow and looked up at the peak of Death Mountain. Dark gray smoke billowed out of the top, surrounded by a wispy ring of white clouds that circled about the tip endlessly. He deftly stepped to the side as yet another rock rolled past. He continued crawling up the near diagonal slope until he reached a wall of stone. The rocks that fell from here were smaller, but still as big as his head. He straightened his long cap, tightened the Four Sword's scabbard on his shoulder and began to climb up the wall. The wall, luckily, did not loom as highly as it would have liked to think. Only several pebbles fell on the fourth piece of Link. If he had to have climbed any higher, he'd be trying his luck. The rock face thereafter continued to slope at a more or less flat angle, but still sloping. Green sat at the top of the wall and looked back the way he came. It was hard to imagine that a beautiful green forest and a sparkling blue river full of red and purple fish were somewhere in the west. Green wiped his cheek with his sleeve again. He hoped he would see his other selves soon. "Just a little farther," he panted.

He had begun to climb again when he heard it: "Aah! Help me! Help!" Green looked around wildly before he noticed a tiny hand clawing the ground under a stopped boulder.

"Holy crow!" Green shouted as he dashed to the rock. "Hold on, I'll save you!" He shoved at the lower side of the rock with gritted teeth until it gave way and continued rolling down the side of the mountain. He flopped on the ground, the head rush making stars fog up his blue eyes. He glanced dizzily behind him. "Are you okay?" He wheezed as space slowly left his vision.

He was an absurdly short man dressed in an absurdly skin-tight green suit with little brown boots, a red pair of mini shorts, and a bright blue back pack. A clock on his necklace swung in time with his curly black goatee, and his tiny eyes flicked about the mountain side. He stood up, raised his large nose in the air and said in a very commanding voice, "I hereby declare that there are no force gems under that boulder at all." He struck a perfect split. "So says the one and only _Tingle_!"

Green blinked. "The one and only who?" he asked.

Tingle's face turned to him in a snap, the red swirls on his cheeks flaring. He pointed a trembling finger at him. "How dare you—oh hey those clothes!" He lowered he finger and giggled. "They're so cute! They're just as green as mine!" Green leaned away from him with a look that said _he_ wanted to be crushed under a boulder. Tingle began to hop around like the little flea that he was. "You're dressed just like the fairy I dreamt about! Are you trying to be a hero?"

"Er, I _am_ a hero—"

Tingle spun about on the tip of his boot and hugged himself. "I'm collecting lots of force gems so that I can become real fairy!" He patted Green's shoulder. "Someday, if you collect a lot of force, you'll be a real hero, too."

Green stood up. "Um, thanks, good advice…" He started to walk away when Tingle ran in front of him.

"Take advice from a master," he said, "To be a real hero, you need to collect force." He gestured to his blue sack. "A hero is measured by how much force he collects. I can tell you more, if you want."

"Thanks, but I already knew that." Green tried move around Tingle, but no dice.

"Well, did you know that places filled with natural energy- like this mountain- are also great sources for force gems?"

"Yep, I knew that too." Green hurried on, but Tingle kept pace. _Geez,_ Green thought, _this guy is like some fairy that won't shut up!_

"I see you've studied." Tingle said admiringly. "Still, you'll need tips from an expert like me!"

"That's okay—"

"No, it's fine! We masters are supposed to pass on our skills."

"I'm fine, please, just leave me alone!"

A shadow fell over them. Four huge knifelike nails wrapped around Green and lifted him yelling into the air. "Eek!" Tingle shrieked, "a Hinox!" He dashed behind a rock.

The Hinox was ripped with muscles and hair, orange skin covered with ripped animal furs for clothes. Its one leering eye looked at his victim and smirked with its brown tusks. Stomping around with no concern for the crumbling stone under its feet, it swung the hero around. Small prisms glinted as they shed from Green's pockets.

Tingle's eyes gleamed. "Look!" he shouted, "It's the rare purple force gems I've been looking for!"

"Hey, get back here!" Green yelled. "Fairies are supposed to help heroes!" A balloon popped out of Tingles pack and lifted him skyward.

"Sorry, but collecting gems come first!" He waved at him as he floated away. "After I become a fairy, I'll help you. Buh-bye!"

"Come back!" Green yelled. "And give me back my force gems!" The Hinox grew bored and threw Green to the ground. Green's head smacked a rock and the Hinox roared at the hero's misfortune.

"Green!" a voice called. A pink portal quickly materialized behind the Hinox, and Blue and Red flew out. Blue cut a nice gash in the Hinox's arm. Red burned its ponytail off with a stick Green had never seen before. The Hinox fell over backwards behind the raised rock it had appeared from. Green shook the spirals from his eyes and gaped. A light blue fairy floated patiently by Red's head. Green pointed and made choking sounds.

Blue smirked and rested his Four Sword on his shoulder. "You know you're not the only hero here, right?"

"We couldn't let you get squished!" Red giggled. Green kept pointing.

The two others blinked, then turned and looked at the twenty Hinoxes waiting behind them.

…

"RUN AWAY!" They ran as the Hinoxes snapped at their heels with tusks and claws.

Fire and smoke burst from the ground and made the heroes screech to a halt. The smoke had gotten thicker, and fire flared up in the small crevice before them. Green peered down at the river of lava that drifted by slowly. Red hid behind Blue, who faced the monsters and drew his sword. "I guess we'll have to stand our ground," he said.

The Hinoxes smiled at them hungrily before looking up suddenly. They ran back several paces and prostrated themselves on the ground. The heroes slowly turned around.

The smoke and fire rising from the river parted to reveal a rocky temple. A throne faced the river, and a girl sat in it with a Hinox groveling at her feet. Blonde bangs swept just so, blue eyes relaxed, legs crossed, and purple hat drifting in the smoky wind, she looked as though she belonged in that chair. She knew what she was doing. "Welcome to my kingdom of fire, my old friends," said Violet Link.

"Vio?" Green managed.

"What're you doing up there?" Blue called.

Red blinked at her with his big blue eyes. "Are you the real Vio?"

"Of course I am," Vio said with a chuckle. "Don't sound so surprised." She gesture at the ancient ruins around her, rocky pillars that stood crumbling at uneven heights. "Lord Vaati has entrusted me with Death Mountain. Isn't that wonderful? If you wish to be my servants, then I welcome you."

"Did you say Vaati?" Green cried. "Vio, you didn't _really_ …"

"Oh, but I have." Vio rested her chin in one hand and set the other on her knee. "I've changed, Green, become more pragmatic. The light of day will soon fall to darkness. Trying to stop it," she smiled slyly, "is a fool's errand."

Green shook his head. "And I used to think she was the smart one…" He muttered.

Red pinched his cheek. "This is a dream, right?" he asked. "It has to be."

Blue stared at Vio intensely. "Or…" he picked up a rock, "it's an illusion!" He hurled the rock with deadly accuracy at Vio. She held up a hand and the rock smacked into it, falling to the floor with a clatter. Red oozed from the center of her palm.

"It's not a dream," a voice hummed in the smoke, "or an illusion. Vio has just found her true self." The smoke curled and carved itself into sharp lines and soft wisps. Long dark hair floated in the wind, blue eyes twinkled mischievously, and his cap and tunic curled roughly like a storm cloud.

"Shadow Link!" Blue growled and raised his sword. The shadow stepped next to the girl and set a hand on her shoulder. "Violet knows who her friends really are!"

Green stared at the duo, then shook his head and blinked quickly. "Come on, Vio!" he shouted. "Don't you remember what he did to Hyrule castle?"

Shadow sat on the arm of Vio's chair. "Think about it," he said with a dismissive gesture. "Vio has superior intelligence. Playing nurse maid to you three fools was never enough for her." Green took a sharp breath. "Lord Vaati and I have given her the chance to reach her full potential." He sneered at the heroes. "The three of you were like _stones_ , tied around her neck and drowning her in a sea of mediocrity." Green's eyes flicked to Vio.

"I'm sorry guys, but he's right." Red began to cry and rubbed his bubbling eyes. Green closed his mouth and frowned. Blue was having none of this mess.

"You dirty traitor!" he roared. "All of that book learning rotted away your morals!" He clenched his fists and stomped forward. "I'm going to teach you a lesson—" he smacked into Green's outstretched arm.

"Wait," said Green, before turning to face Vio. "I can't make you want to stay with us…" He unsheathed his sword, which now shone like polished silver. "But I also can't let you use the power of the Four Sword for evil. If you're serious about all of this, I'm going to have to take you down, here and now."

Red gasped and reached out to Green, "Green, stop—" Blue held him back and shook his head.

" _Well_ ," said Shadow. "Isn't this interesting?" He looked at his companion. "What do you say to that?" Vio shrugged his hand off her shoulder and rose from her seat.

"I say that Green is about to learn who the weak _link_ in this chain is." Shadow snickered and snapped his fingers. Death Mountain began to rumble, and a round platform with rocky pillars on all sides slowly rose from the lava river.

"Green, stop!" Red cried again. "You too, Vio!" Vio jumped lightly into the center of the field.

"Around the arena is molten lava," she said, "And the boulders will shoot flames if you get too close." She smirked again at Green. "If you're smart, you'll surrender now before it's too late."

Green jumped onto the arena, and fire flashed around them in anticipation. "I know what I'm doing," he said. "Do you?"

"I think we both know what's about to happen." She readied her duller Four Sword.

Green blinked and she was in front of him, sword slashing. He raised his blade and only lost a part of his green sleeve.

He rolled away and stopped with his back to a rock. The boulder formed a leering face and spit fire at Green, who scampered away just in time.

He looked up, and Vio was above him, sword raised. "You talk tough, but you don't have the nerve to kill me!" She brought down her sword, "You're too soft!" Green blocked it with his own and pushed her away.

"You're no better!" He shouted and advanced on her. "We leave you alone for one day and you join the dark side!" Their blades slammed together and clanged cacophonously. "Talk about not having nerve, I'm ashamed you're even a part of me!"

Red began to sob, tears gushing down his face. Blue papped him absently and yelled, "Come on, Green! Kill the traitor quickly!"

The other side of the river had perhaps even more cacophony than the battle. Shadow rolled around on the bumpy ground and howled with laughter. "This is priceless!" He screamed. "It's the funniest thing I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, Vio was pressing on Green, and they moved closer and closer to a rock. "We're equally matched," Vio grunted, "in strength! But this is also a battle of wits!" Green's boot skidded even closer to the boulder. "Wouldn't you agree?" She asked.

"I would," said Green, "and it seems that you've outwitted yourself!" He lowered himself and held the crossed swords above his head. He grinned at her. "In getting me closer to the rock, you've also gotten too close to _me_!" He stomped on her toes, his full weight in the heel of his boot. Vio shrieked and jumped back. " _Come on, bookworm, it's time to fight!"_

He ran at her and she made a wide arc with her sword, screaming, " _Now_ I'm mad!"

They sparred faster and faster, their heartbeats even faster than the shrieking blades. They slid past each other and stilled. Blue, Red, and Shadow watched with baited breath. Green gasped, and slowly tumbled to the ground. His grip on his sword released. Vio looked down at him with thin lips. The battle was over.

"GREEN!" Blue and Red leaped onto the arena, fairy in tow. Blue shook Green's shoulders. "Talk to me, Green, open your eyes!" Shadow clapped slowly as he, too stepped onto the rock.

"Well done, Vio," he said. "Now you are truly one of us." Vio rested her sword on her shoulder and glanced back at the other Links. Red tried to feel Green's pulse and cried. Blue glared at Vio with glistening eyes.

"What?" she asked. "You didn't believe me? Face the consequences." She turned away from them with a swing of her hips.

Shadow placed a hand on her back and led her away. "That was amazing!" he said, and waved a hand at the drooling Hinoxes. "Let's go drink a toast to the Fire temple to celebrate this fantastic occasion!" Laughing, he disappeared into the smog, Vio in arm.

Blue thumped Green on the shoulder. "Come on, Green, stay with us!" Red looked wearily up at the fairy.

"Can you please bring him back to life?" he begged. The fairy drifted and rested on Green's forehead. "I don't need to," said the fairy, "he's only unconscious." Green moaned and sat up with a hand on his chest. The fairy fluttered around them.

"Oh, that _hurt_ ," he muttered. He blinked and looked at his friends. "Guys?" he asked.

Red threw his arms around Green and wailed, "Green, you're alive!"

Blue patted Green's chest roughly with his hand and asked, "Why aren't you dead?"

Green pushed his hand away. "No touch." Then he gasped. "Oh, Vio! She's okay!"

"What do you mean?" Red asked with his head cocked.

"When we were fighting, I saw this look in her eyes…"

"So?" Blue asked.

Green looked at where Vio had been before. "She's faked this whole thing to gain the enemy's trust. She's inside all alone." He clenched his fist. "But what is she planning?"

* * *

Bum bum buuum... What's going to become of our heroes, now? What _is_ Vio planning? Find out next time on Five Swords!

So. Tingle. I'll be honest, I didn't like writing him. I have no idea why Himekawa decided to add him into the story, especially now, but I suppose he could be considered funny. What do you think?

Chapter 8 is where all that fluffy romance I've been promising is! Are you looking forward to it? Please (please) tell me in a review! I'll see you next Sunday for the update!


	8. Sad Shadow Link

What time is it? Show time!

Legend of Zelda: Five Swords is back today, right on schedule! I think this is my favorite chapter of the book! It has everything a story needs! Action, drama, romance, betrayal, bloodshed, sibling love, friendship hugs! AAAAH- *dies*

So, read thoroughly, everyone, this will be quite the treat!

* * *

Chapter 8: Sad Shadow Link

Two ornate cups clinked together. "Hinoxes, drink your fill!" Shadow Link called as he reclined on his soft cushion. Several Hinoxes roared and slurped noisily from jars of frothing liquid. "This is an auspicious occasion; the four heroes will never be together again!"

Vio raised her cup. "Thank darkness for that!"

"It's all thanks to you, Vio." Shadow laughed.

Vio was about to take a sip when she further examined the thick white drink. "Um, is this ale?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Shadow looked up. "Uh, no, it's… cocoa."

Vio sniffed her cup. "White cocoa?"

"Just try it."

Vio sipped, and had to agree; it did taste pretty good. She glanced out the window above Shadow's head at the black night sky...

*Meanwhile...*

" _That's_ the fire temple," said the fairy. Green, Blue, and Red were crouching behind a crevice beneath the tall, thin tower full of holes and jutting edges that sent rippling smoke into the sky. Death Mountain was a few leagues away, its own smoke covering the full moon.

"What's Vio going to do?" Red asked worriedly. "We have to help her!"

Blue hurried forward, but Green stopped him. "If we're seen, we'll put Vio in greater danger."

"That's right," said the fairy. "I'll go and spy on them." It fluttered around their heads before shooting into the sky.

The fairy circled the temple slowly, passing rooms full of howling Hinoxes before reaching a small balcony near the upper middle of the tower. Two very human looking shapes rested there, and the fairy hurried away.

Vio gazed out at the sky and land before her. One of the faded stars twinkled slightly faster than the others, and the clouded moon cast a strange glow on the red earth below. Shadow sat on the edge of the balcony, watching her. Vio fingered her cup of cocoa. "So this is our country…" she said quietly.

"Indeed. Nice view, am I right?" He asked as he eyed her face.

After seeing Vio limp away with him from the arena for two whole minutes, he "suggested" that Vio lean on him, meaning her carried her bridal style all the way to the temple. Then he "suggested" that he make sure her foot wasn't broken, meaning he, immediately upon entering the temple, dropped her like a rock and bandaged her bruised foot. Then he "suggested" that she dress more formally for the celebration, meaning that he stole her long cap and wouldn't stop bugging her until she agreed to wear the long purple gown he had on hand for some reason. Now Vio was leaning against a pillar on the balcony awkwardly, blonde hair untamed like a mass of hay and a dark purple dress. Shadow, obviously, didn't bother dressing up, and was still wearing his clothes from earlier. Vio wondered if he could even change his clothes. Argh, he wouldn't stop looking at her!

"Vio, you have potential," he said finally. He leaned back against a pillar and crossed his legs. "Together, we could rule all of Hyrule, not just this tiny mountain."

Vio set down her cup. "You mean, turn on Lord Vaati?"

Shadow nodded. "I'm the one who woke Vaati up. It would be just as easy to seal him away again."

Vio nodded slowly. "I see, but..." Vio tried something she'd never done before; she gazed at Shadow with a slight cock of her head and a softness in her voice. "There's someone _else_ behind Vaati, isn't there?"

Shadow seemed to perk slightly at her change in tone. "Yes, there is," he said. "Ganon, the king of darkness."

Vio blinked.

Shadow lay down on the balcony, arms and legs crossed. "While the heroes focus on Vaati, Ganon is gathering power. There's nothing I can do about him." He sat up and gave her a sly grin. "Ganon's the one who drew me out of the Dark Mirror."

Vio was silent for a moment. Then, "The Dark Mirror? What's that?"

"Oh, yeah, you wouldn't know…" Shadow slipped off of the balcony edge and gestured for her to follow him. They walked down many flights of tight, winding steps before reaching a room that was under the ground and stuck out of the cliff face.

The room was round with two arches that led onto thin balconies. It was mostly empty, save for a pair of Hinoxes who had clearly drunken too much cocoa. They stumbled and giggled in front of a gauzy curtain and polished the surface of a mirror with a filthy rag.

Shadow shrieked and leapt down the last few steps. "What are you idiots doing?" He ran at the beasts while waving his hands. "Are you _trying_ to break it? Get out!" The Hinoxes scrambled away, whimpering.

Vio looked at him curiously while Shadow examined the mirror critically. Finding no faults, he sighed in relief. He faced Vio and placed his hand gently on the mirror's surface. "This is the Dark Mirror; it provides us with a limitless fountain of darkness. As long as our side has this, we can't lose!"

Vio looked into the mirror. It was taller and wider than her, with an ornate silver frame and a ruby skull at the top. The surface was smooth and it reflected everything in monochrome. Vio's blue eyes stared into their dark gray replicas.

Shadow watched her gaze before setting his hand on her shoulder. "I want to show you something," he said, and he steered her back the way they came. Vio wasn't about to drop the subject, though.

"Could Ganon be defeated using the power of the Dark Mirror?" she pestered.

"Impossible," Shadow walked a step ahead of her. "The Dark Lord draws his strength from the mirror." He set his hands on his hips. "The only way would be for Princess Zelda to imbue the heroes with her power, which is why we can't let her escape from the Tower of Winds."

Vio paused on the stairs, eyes flicking left and right. Then she grabbed his arm. "What if we let Princess Zelda out at _just_ the right time?"

Shadow turned his head quickly toward her. "What are you saying?"

"Then _we_ would rule the whole world!" She took his hands in hers and grinned. "There would be no one above us; just you and me, Shadow!"

Shadow bit his lip and gazed away from her. Then he started nodding. "I see," he said slowly. "That just might work!" He put an arm around her waist and pulled her up the stairs. "You're even more devious than I am!" He rubbed his cheek against hers.

Vio blushed. "Enough with the flattery already!"

"Vio, I'm serious," Shadow said as they reached the roof. "For the first time since I existed, I feel like I have a _real_ friend. Someone I can _trust_."

 _Well, shoot,_ thought Vio.

The dragon on the roof puffed smoke at them. _Was that always there?_ Vio wondered. Shadow led her to the dragon, which had indeed been on the roof for this specific occasion because the manga writer wanted some cool looking destruction to draw. Or so I think, because they never actually show them getting on the dragon. I guess they ran out of time?

Shadow hopped onto the back of the dragon's head and held his hand to Vio. She gingerly lifted a skirt and took his hand; the dragon seemed to be giving her an I-know-what-you're-up-to look.

"Now, let the destruction begin!" Shadow yelled, and the dragon leapt off the roof, writhing in the air and making Vio fall and cling to the scales on the dragon's neck. Shadow seemed not to notice.

"Wreak havoc, Death Mountain! Devour the forests!" The volcano rumbled and glowing orange lava spurted from the top into the purple sky. Bunnies, bears, deer, and other stereotypical forest creatures bounded away from the burning rock in a blind panic. Trees fell backwards and sank beneath the growing pools of red. Vio's blue eyes turned a sickly green.

It took her a moment to realize that Shadow was grinning at her, fangs glistening. "Cool, right?" he asked.

"This is the power of darkness…" was all she could manage to say.

Shadow stood tall and shouted, "Tomorrow, we move on to the human towns! We'll burn them all and spread darkness to the horizon! I'll show them all! You fools who called me 'just a shadow'... well, this 'shadow' is about to destroy your entire world!"

He threw back his head and laughed. It howled and echoed through the burning trees and lifeless mountains. The moon was swallowed by black smoke, and Vio stared. She wondered if she would be better off in the woods below.

The dragon was now steadily returning to the temple. Vio steadied herself on the slowly gliding dragon and pushed herself up. She almost instantly fell forward and smacked into Shadow. Her face was in his lower back and her arms were around his waist. Shadow stopped laughing and looked down at her. She peeked up and squeaked, "Help?"

He laughed, more jokingly, and gripped her arms. "No way."

*Once back at the temple...*

Her bedroom was hardly a bedroom. It was a thin rug on the stone cold floor with a tiny head pillow and surrounded on three sides with thick blankets. Vio lifted one of the blankets and glanced behind her to see where Shadow had gone. His nose was touching hers. "Boo," he said. Vio jumped a foot in the air, and then lightly smacked his arm.

"Don't tell me we're sharing the floor," she said.

"Of course not," said Shadow. "You get this one to yourself. Mine's downstairs. I'm not indecent, you know."

"Of course." They stood there for a moment. Vio patted down her hair. "So… goodnight? Or is it good morning? What time is it any—" Shadow smacked a quick kiss on her lips.

"Got one," he snickered. Then he cartwheeled down the stairs.

"Cad!" Vio shouted, throwing one of her slippers down after him. She stomped into her alcove and flumped onto her carpet piece. On the floor. "Ow," she muttered, rubbing her stomach. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Her hair was everywhere, not that she ever thought about brushing it. Her normal clothes were folded neatly next to her head.

Vio rubbed her arms. Were the others okay? The lava had gone almost everywhere, so she hoped they'd found high ground.

She closed her eyes and saw the Dark Mirror. Her reflection had seemed gangly and frail, as if she had been in a cave for many years without sleep. Gray, bagging eyes stared at hers. Her hair seemed dry and broken.

Vio rubbed her eyes. Of all the things to be thinking about right now… She must have had too much cocoa.

She stared at her clothes. It seemed so long ago when she saw her reflection for the first time. It was dark, but she would've sworn she was vibrant. Yellow hair that drifted in the wind, a soft face that seemed just right, and blue eyes that shimmered in the water were new sights to her.

She rolled over and looked in the direction of the stairs. And then _he_ appeared, sitting atop a pine tree, watching her.

When she first started being a double agent, she stayed as far from Shadow as possible. He'd ruined Hyrule Castle, after all. But he always seemed to come for her when she wouldn't for him. He'd shown her the secret libraries of dark spells in the fire temple, shown her his leader's one weakness, and then tonight… did he really…?

Vio clasped her hands and said a prayer to the goddesses that she was making the right choice. Then she quietly put on her normal clothes creeped slowly down the stairs.

*Meanwhile...*

Tingle skipped into the fire temple. Why was he there? He was looking for force gems, of course. How did he get in there? I don't know. It's probably not important. "Any force gems in here?" He called, not trying to be quiet. He was about to walk up the stairs of the round room he was in when he noticed he wasn't alone. Someone dressed in purple with blonde hair tucked in a hat was standing in front of a mirror with a long wooden mallet. They gripped the handle tightly, palms sweaty. They closed their eyes and took a shaky breath. They slowly raised the hammer above their head, and—

"HI THERE, HERO BOY!" Tingle said loudly, clapping Vio on the rear.

"Wha—who are you?" she whispered.

"Aw, you're not wearing green anymore," Tingle said, deaf to Vio's confusion.

"Look, I think you're mistaken. Now get out, shoo!"

"Humph. Rude." Tingle began to tug at her tunic. "I bet _you_ know where some force gems are! Now tell me: where? Where?"

"Get lost!" She hissed, and smacked him out the window with her hammer. He bounced on a slumbering Hinox and fell down the cliff below. The Hinox growled and sleepily stalked towards Vio. She drew her Four Sword and easily struck him down.

The other Hinoxes began to stir and awaken. Nowhere to run, she tossed the hammer out the window. Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs. _Oh gosh dang it. Not him, not now._

"What's going on here?" Shadow stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at her suspiciously. "Why did you attack him?"

"I was just examining the mirror, and he attacked," Vio said steadily. "I think he was sleepwalking." A Hinox with a large knot on its head stumbled over to Shadow and handed him the mallet. _Well, now I'm screwed._

"Someone was trying to break the mirror." Shadow showed her the weapon.

"…I saw a strange little man earlier," she said. "It might have been him."

Shadow dropped the hammer and slowly walked toward Vio. He stopped just in front of her. His face was smooth and stony. "He might be in league with the other two heroes." He walked past her toward the Dark Mirror.

"That must be it," said Vio. _No plan B. No place to run. Nice work, bookworm. Oh, he's talking._

"Let's ask the mirror what those fools are up to."

 _Oh,_ _ **no**_ **.**

Shadow set his hand on the Dark Mirror and the surface began to ripple. A rocky crevice with three figures appeared in the middle of the reflection.

Outside the temple, Green, Blue, and Red peered up cautiously. "It looks like there's some commotion inside," said Blue.

"Where's that fairy?" Red whimpered.

Green stepped over their hiding place. "Let's try and get a closer look," he said.

Shadow's nails sharpened and slowly scratched over Green's image. He suddenly slammed his palms down on the mirror and yelled, "Green? How is he _still alive?!_ "

"I-I-I don't know," Vio stammered. "I was sure I… killed…" Vio stared back at herself. Her reflection gripped the hammer tightly and took a deep breath. She raised it over head and was suddenly pushed away. The image disappeared.

Shadow didn't move.

Vio slowly stepped back.

 ** _"_** ** _EXECUTE THIS TRAITOR!"_** Shadow roared.

Vio turned to run, but was grabbed and thrown to the ground by dozens of shouting Hinoxes.

A star in the sky blinked and rushed toward the three heroes. They ran after the fairy as it guided them to Death Mountain. Red was close behind when he noticed something glitter out of the corner of his eye…

*One hour later...*

Heat rippled upwards, vibrating with each thump of the drums. Shadow was perched on his dragon and staring down at Vio. She was tied to a tall, stone pole, feet hanging limply under her. Two Four Swords were crossed over her head, one red and one purple. Shadow's arms were crossed.

She glared defiantly at him. "You've been watching us the whole time with that mirror!" she stated.

"That's right," he said. "Yet _still_ , you managed to fool me." Shadow stepped off of the dragon and paced back and forth in midair. "So very clever. So very like _you_." He sneered grudgingly at her. "You're not evil, but you _are_ a naughty little girl."

Vio half chuckled. "I was just doing what you always do; letting you see what you wanted to see."

"You'd have been the best partner. It's a shame, but I _have_ to kill you now." He snapped his fingers, and a Hinox slammed a club at the base of her tower, making it sway. Vio braced her feet against the stone and waited for death.

"Vio!" Green leapt from pretty much out of nowhere and landed on the platform below her.

"Green?" Blue jumped above her head. "Blue? Red?"

"We've come to save you, Vio!" Red cheered.

"Shadow Link, your game ends here!" Blue shouted.

"No! Guys! Get off of the ledge!" Vio cried.

"Huh?" The ledge broke.

"AAAAH!" And they fell into the magma. The end.

Or it would be, if Red the wunderkind hadn't seen the shiny from earlier.

"Ice rod, yay!" He waved his upgraded weapon that would never be seen in the manga again, and the magma instantly froze.

"Dude. That was awesome!" Green said.

"Be careful, there's still magma under the ice!" Red warned.

Blue cut the ropes and helped Vio to her feet. "Who's the better Link now, bookworm?" He asked.

Vio snorted. "Still me, loser."

Shadow fumed and yelled, "Crush them!"

The dragon and Hinoxes rushed down to the four heroes, who were rearmed and ready. The four Links cut through Hinoxes like butter and skinned the dragon of its wings. With each swing, the swords became purer and purer still.

Blue drew his hammer that actually _would_ be seen again in the manga and called, "Stay back, guys!" He brought it down, cracking the ice, and Red pulled him up the rock face to safety. The magma burst through the cracks, and the remaining Hinoxes burned, fleshy smoke and burning steam mixing together. A minute later, it was mostly quiet.

Vio stood with her other selves and looked at her shadow across from her. Her Four Sword now glinted as brightly as the rest. Shadow's fangs grew longer, his claws sharper.

"How?" He growled. "How did you ruin everything so _easily_?"

"I just had to figure out you plans. In the end, it wasn't hard, because... you're a reflection of us." Shadow's blue eyes dilated. "The big difference being, that for a bit of personal power, you were willing to completely betray your partners." Vio gripped her sword with both hands and showed it to him. "As a hero, I never strayed from my hopes and goals."

The two of them stared at each other for one minute. Two minutes. Three. Shadow began to hiss and froth slightly. "Vio, I will _never_ forgive you." Vio gulped. "Don't think this is over! I'm not done yet!"

Green put a hand on Vio's shoulder and stepped forward. "It _is_ over."

Blue stepped next to him. "We're different than when we were at Hyrule Castle."

Red bunny hopped next to Blue. "We're a team!"

"I… will _kill…_ " Shadow growled, " _every LAST_ _ **ONE OF**_ _ **YOU!**_ " He lunged.

The heroes raised their Four Swords and called, "Oh, force! Give us light!" Beams of white light pierced through Shadow Link. He howled as the light ripped him apart. His wide blue eyes stared at Vio as they turned to dust. Death Mountain erupted for the second time that day.

The fairy appeared and opened a pink portal under the heroes of the Five Sword (Roll Credits!), and they all landed in an open field.

They all sat there, panting heavily, until Red finally said, "We did it! We beat Shadow Link!"

"No, not yet," said Vio, standing up.

"Huh?" asked Green.

"There's still the Dark Mirror. If we don't destroy that—"

"Hold it!" Blue covered her mouth. "The four of us have been separated for a long time. Hellos first, save the world later." Truer words were never spoken, with the exception of truer words that were spoken. Red wrapped his arms around his big sister figure. Vio patted him gently on the back.

"I'm so happy, Vio!" Red cried. "I thought you had really turned evil!"

"It's okay, Red; I've missed you too—" Red stepped lightly on her injured foot. Vio rolled away and screamed every curse in the book.

"Oops," said Red.

"It's always worse the second time," said Blue.

They all crowded around her and had a great big Legend of Zelda hug. There was only one thing...

 _Oh, Shadow…_ Vio thought.

* * *

Hooray! The fight is over! For now, at least. What will happen now that Shadow Link is out of the picture? What of Vio's new feelings? What will become of the heroes of the Five Sword?! Find out next Sunday for the next chapter!

So, yeah. I think this chapter contains two things I really wanted to see in a fanfiction, thus making me write it myself: Vio in a dress, and Shadow cartwheeling down the stairs. Perfection.

So. Vio in a dress. What kind of dress? I have no idea. But, yeah, that's pretty much the only reason Vio is a girl. What did you think? Tell me in a review about what kind of dress _you_ think Vio was wearing, and I'll see you next week! A-good-bye!


	9. On to the Tower of Winds

Sunday! Who wants a Sunday sundae? You get a Sunday, and YOU and get a Sunday, and **AAAAH**

Welp. Time for an LoZ update. The chapters from here are a lot shorter, so it won't be nearly as satisfying as I hope the last chapter was. It would be great if I actually knew, but no one reviews and tells me. Well, almost no one. (Nudge wonk at James Birdsong).

The end is nigh! The climax is nearing! It's time... to read!

* * *

Chapter 9: On to the Tower of Winds

As Shadow Link broke apart, something else broke as well.

The First Knight blinked. "Where am I?" he said. The room he was in was tall and round, with a large winding staircase and white brick walls. "Link?" he called, looking around. "Are you here?"

"I see you've awakened, First Knight," said a voice behind him. He turned around and gasped, "You!"

-!-

The four Links held their swords together and cheered.

"Together again at last!" Vio laughed.

"As long as we each have a part of the Five Sword, I think it's unavoidable!" Blue agreed.

"Don't start with me," Vio warned.

"Okay, okay, enough," Green said. Red tapped his shoulder. "What is it, Red?"

"Well, we were all kind of angry when we parted… is everything good between us now?"

"Absolutely," said Green. "When I was alone, I realized how much I liked being on a team. It's good to have friends to rely on."

"And I realized that getting angry doesn't always help." Blue rubbed his nose. "I've learned a little patience, I think."

Vio smiled softly. "Because I was 'the smart one', I thought that I was always right." She brushed her hair behind her ear. "I learned that 'smart' and 'wise' aren't the same thing."

Red made a fist and huffed cutely. "I've always relied on you guys for help, but now I know I need to be more self-reliant! I wonder if I've gotten any stronger…"

Vio sat on the grass. "In a way, Shadow helped us. If we'd stayed together, we would have kept fighting."

"Yeah," said Blue. "I still don't like him."

"I know," said Vio, "but—"

"Do not even." Blue held up his hand. "I know how stories like this end up. Shadow's gone; he's not coming back; deal with it."

Vio frowned at him. "I know he's not—wait, what do you mean by 'stories like this'?"

"Um—"

"Have you been reading my rom-coms while I was gone?"

"No," said Blue.

"Yes," said Green and Red.

Blue glared at them. "I will kill you both, I swear."

The fairy fluttered haphazardly above them. "Oh, would you like at the time, it's time to go to the Palace of Winds, let's go!" It said quickly before teleporting them all to the Four Sword sanctuary. "Dang it, it didn't work," the fairy grumbled. "Hey maidens, could you deus ex machina the heroes to the palace before they fight and everything goes horribly?"

Green gasped. "We only saved one of the shrine maidens!"

"Oh no, I forgot!" Red wailed.

 _Chill heroes, it's okay,_ a voice echoed around them. Vio turned behind her and gasped. The six shrine maidens floated above them, smiling hazily.

"But how—it doesn't make any sense!" Blue cried. "It's just a bunch of skips in the story to forgo any possible plot line and hurry the story along!"

"Dude, stop reading my books," said Vio.

 _Groovy, man, right on,_ said the Green Maiden.

"Please don't tell me this is what happens when you're trapped in crystal for a few days," said Green.

 _Nah man, the person writing this remake didn't know what to do with us. The manga just sort of has us, like, appear here, saying that we showed up because the "shadow barrier" was broken. Then we just teleport you to the Tower of Winds. No hellos, or whatever. Just hi there, bye there._

"Um, okay," said Red. "Can we leave now?"

 _Right on_. The Maidens waved theirs arms aimlessly and the four heroes teleported up into the sky. _Let's go sit with the flowers_ , said the Purple Maiden.

 _"_ _Totally,"_ said the fairy and the group. And just like that, the happy fun time break was over.

*Meanwhile…*

"I didn't see you there, Princess Zelda."

Zelda clasped her hands to her necklace and smiled. "I'm glad you are well, First Knight."

The First Knight knelt before his ruler. "Thank the gods you're safe, your highness, but… where are we? And how did we get here?"

Zelda frowned and looked at him sadly. "We're inside a tremendous tower. Don't you recall? A servant of darkness put us here and killed your son, Link."

The First Knight gasped. "How could I forget… that my son is dead…" He lowered his gaze.

"That same darkness is on its way here to destroy us." She wiped her dry eye. "In order to torment us, it is disguised as Link."

The First Knight hardened his gaze and straightened up. "As a knight of Hyrule, I swear I shall destroy that darkness!"

The Princess smiled. "You are loyal to the last, First Knight." She held up a helmet that came from nowhere. "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this."

"What is it?"

"It's a helmet that lets you see through dark illusions."

The First Knight looked hard at the rusty helmet with a tattered plume. Then he began to draw his sword. "This isn't right," he said, "you're not the Princess!—"

She put the helmet on his head, and he stopped talking.

"That's better," she said. "Now remember; the demon is disguised as Link, and there are four of them!"

"As… you… say," he mumbled before stalking away.

"Kill them!" she ordered. "One last surprise for those meddlesome heroes!" She erupted into laughter as she grew wings and flew up the stairs.

-!-

The Links dashed up another flight of stairs. The tower was shaped like a hexagon, with a door on one side that led straight up to a door on another side, and the door went to a set of stairs outside the tower that wrapped around to the next side, which came back inside. It was tiring and terribly inefficient, like most towers.

Vio wiped her forehead. "How much higher do we need to go?" she wheezed.

"Hey look, a window!" Red called. They all crowded around it. "A window with glass! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Stop pushing, let me see!" Blue yelled.

"Calm down, it's not a race!" said Green as he was shoved to the side. "I'm sure it's not much farther. Let's keep moving."

They all hurried up the next flight of stairs. Then the next. And then the next. The fifth next ended at a huge wooden door with no discernable handles. They all pushed and pulled to no avail.

"What are we going to do?" asked Red. "We can't just break it down…"

"Watch me." Blue raised his hammer, but stopped when Green gasped, "Aw, no way…"

"What?" asked Blue.

"We need at least three more gems to open the door!" Green showed them the jewel on his chain. "They're the keys to the seal on the Tower of Winds. Some of the Knights of Hyrule carry them."

"Oh, _now_ you think of that," said Blue.

Red looked down the way they had come. "Do we _have_ to go back?" he moaned.

"Unless there's a jewel ex machina in the next few minutes, it looks like we'll have no choice." Vio replied.

Suddenly, a jewel ex machina appeared.

"Demons!" said the voice of the dark knight advancing behind them. "Cursed minions of Vaati!"

 _That voice…_ the Links thought at once. The knight stopped near the foot of their stairs and raised his sword and gaze. "Prepare to perish on my sword."

"F-father!" Green cried. He ran down the stairs with his arms open. "Father, it's me, Link! You're alive!" He reached to hug him, but the dark knight swiped at him, nearly nicking his neck. Green fell back.

"And _you_ will soon be dead!" his father retorted.

"It's really me, father! I'm Link!"

"Link is dead!" the dark knight thundered. "Killed by you demons! Today, I avenge him!"

* * *

Buh buh BWAAAAAH _*Breaking instruments*_

Cliffhangers! Who is disguised as Princess Zelda? Is the real princess still safe? Will Blue ever find out how Feli and Ludwig confess their love to each other? Will someone figure out what reference that is? Find out next time!

Like I said, the chapters will be a lot shorter from here on out. Also, after I post this, I'll be setting up a new poll! Check it out on my profile! Please.

What did you think? Leave a review (please), check out my poll (please), and come back next Sunday! Bye-bye for now!


	10. A Fight against Father

Early Update! Early Update! Wee-woo wee-woo!

I'm going to be busy all weekend, so I'm posting this chapter early as a treat. It's just as well, seeing how short it is. I probably could have pushed this one and the last one into a single chapter, but this was how it was written. Don't blame me. See you at the bottom of the page!

* * *

Chapter 10: A Fight against Father

The knight slashed his sword, and Green skidded back. The other Links gathered around him. "Father, listen!" they cried.

"We really are Link!"

"You've been tricked!"

Their father began advancing on them. "You will not pass. I will _die_ fighting you."

The Links drew their swords and looked at each other worriedly. "It's like he's in a trance," Vio said, "he can't hear a thing we say."

"I don't want to fight Father!" Red cried.

"We've never been able to beat him," Blue grumbled.

"Maybe if we all attacked at once…?" Green hefted his sword and raised his shield. "Come on, guys, we have to get past him!"

The knight's sword began to smoke, and then he slashed them all away with dark clouds. He smirked and advanced again.

"He's stronger than ever," Vio said, "he's filled with dark power!"

Green grunted, then heard a faint voice; "Fight, Link, fight!" He turned around.

"Zelda!" he cried, dashing to the princess. She was leaning against the door they had entered before and looked to be near tears. He gently pulled her into his lap and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, Link," Zelda moaned. "Your father has been bound by the power of darkness! The only way to free him is to defeat him!"

"But how—" Green began. Zelda held his hand tightly.

"Please, Link, save Hyrule!" The knight's sword began to billow dark smoke again. Green stood and raised his blade, and light streamed from the tip into the air.

"Green, what are you _doing_?" Vio asked.

"If we hold back, he'll kill us, so I'm going to attack using force energy," Green replied.

"If you do that, father will be blown to pieces!" Red cried.

Vio clamped a hand on Green's shoulder. "Green, _stop._ That's just what Vaati wants. Creatures of darkness enjoy seeing us kill each other. Remember how Shadow was laughing while you and I fought?"

Zelda stared at the back of Vio's head.

Green shrugged her off. "I know it's dangerous, but our only chance is to fight with all of our strength."

Green sword trembled. Father's sword was steady.

Blue's sword also began to quake. He shoved Green out of the way and looked down at him. "You're too soft for something like this," he said, his voice high. "I'm the only one who will do whatever it takes to win. And I will _not stand to see our father being used like that!"_ Blue's sword gleamed and blasted white light at the knight. The knight's cape ripped and he fell onto his back. He lay still.

"No," Green whimpered. "It can't be…"

"Father!" Blue fell to his knees and covered his face.

The other Links gathered around. "Forgive us, father!" Vio cried.

Red peered down at his father's stoic face, tears falling. Suddenly, the knight blinked and leapt into a sitting position. He held a knife over Red's head. The blade trembled, and then was brought down.

The knight grunted as he redrew the bloody weapon from his own leg, and then hurled it at Princess Zelda. The knife struck her in the center of her tiara.

Green screamed.

Cracks formed on her skin, and the knight's helmet cracked with it. It broke in half and fell from his head, sending him slumping into Vio and Red's arms.

Zelda rose and glared at them all. "That was a **perfect plan."** Her voice began to twist and deepen. Wings grew from her back, peeling away her skin. **"What went wrong?"**

The wall behind her crumbled as a huge black ball rose into the air. It had a single red eye, long pointed horns, and three sets of wings that seemed to trail limply and beat strongly all at once.

"That's Vaati!" Green shouted.

Blue pointed a trembling finger and yelled, "At last you show yourself, demon!"

 **"** **Too slow, heroes!"** Vaati crowed. He began to flap his wings and gusts of wind whipped around them. The Links made a circle around their father and shielded him with their bodies. **"My dark wind will shred you!"** Vaati flapped harder.

Blue closed his eyes. He heard the sound of something being cut and the wind dying down. He opened his eyes to see that all of the knights of Hyrule stood around them, weapons drawn.

"Link's father was not alone," said Valensuela, who was here somehow. "With your spell broken, we are free to stand with the heroes of the Four Sword!"

The first knight reached into his armor weakly.

"Father…" Red murmured.

"Take my jewel," the knight managed, handing him a pale, wind shaped gem.

"Take ours as well," said two knights as they revealed their stones, one red and one brown.

"That's it!" Green shouted. The jewels flew from their hands and slipped through the last door. It trembled before smashing to nothing. The Links dashed out the open exit. "We've reached the Tower's peak!" Green cried.

Solid clouds surrounded them, with long, thin towers going up even higher. Vaati hovered, waiting for them.

 **"** **I congratulate you for getting this far,"** he said. His body began to pulse and pull apart. His wings became tentacles with claws and hair. More tendrils poured from his sides like greased whips. **"But your fates are already sealed. You are all** ** _doomed!_** **"**

* * *

I'm sure you figured it out, but the gems are based on the four elementals from The Minish Cap. Valensuela had water, Link's father had wind, and two other knights had fire and earth. Just something I thought was interesting.

Next time: CLIMAX! We're about to hit the big one! Are you excited? You better be! Tell me in a review!

Just a reminder that there is a poll on my profile now. Show your opinions, and I'll see you next week!


	11. The Immortal Demon Vaati

Another early update! Woohoo! I have something to do on Sunday, so I'm updating today like I did last week. Hope you don't mind.

Climax! Climax! Get your climax here! Full of fights and romance! What more could a reader want?

* * *

Chapter 11: The Immortal Demon Vaati

"The demon Vaati!" Green shouted. "This is it, guys!"

"I'm scared!" Red cried.

A tentacle whipped behind the demon and struck at the heroes. They all leapt away as the stone wall behind them shattered like glass. "Look out for those tentacles, they're everywhere!" Vio warned.

Red dodged another attack, but felt something wrap around his ankle. He looked down just in time to see a tendril fling him into the air. He screamed and Blue smacked his forehead, "Is that chump caught already?"

Red dangled by his foot, holding down the skirt of his tunic as he was held over the leering maw of Vaati.

Green threw his boomerang and cut the tendril in half, sending Red screaming down to the clouds below.

Blue caught him. "Gotcha," he said. He held Red bridal style and looked him up and down. "Are you okay?"

Red placed a hand on Blue's chest and touched foreheads. "My blue hero," he whispered, eyes sparkling.

Blue dropped Red onto the cloud. "Stop it, you're creeping me out!" he whined.

Two tentacles snuck behind them and wrapped around their bodies, forcing Blue's mouth to Red's cheek. "Huh? What the-?" he sputtered.

"Nooo!" Red squeed.

"What are you idiots doing?" Green yelled. Two tentacles wrapped around both of his wrists and yanked him skyward.

"Green!" Vio cried as a tendril wrapped around her ankle and dragged her into the sky as well.

Vaati roared with laughter. **"I'll swallow all four of you in one gulp!"** he chortled.

Green grit his teeth as the tentacles slowly pulled his arms in different directions. The tension suddenly snapped and freed his arms. He fell and was caught by a waiting Hyrulian knight.

"Link, are you all right?" his father asked as he stood at the lead of the knights.

"F-father!" Green cried in shock.

They all charged forward, freeing Red and Blue. As Vio began to fall from her height, she drew her bow and aimed an arrow.

"Aim for the eye!" she ordered as she struck Vaati's pupil. Vaati shrieked.

"Fire!" yelled the first knight, and a hail of arrows struck the beast on all sides. Green sliced off a tentacle.

Vaati lethargically shuffled into the misty clouds behind him.

"After him!" Green yelled.

"Don't let him get away, he's almost done!" Vio shouted as the four Links dashed into the fog.

"After them," called the First Knight. They followed, but the cloud began to darken around them.

"First Knight, this black fog…" a knight said. "We can't see a thing!"

"Another spell?" the First Knight wondered. "Link, come back, it's a trap!"

 ***Meanwhile...***

The cloud rolled thickly around the four Links. "Father? Hello?" Blue called behind them.

"I think we've been cut off," said Green.

"Vaati may have faked his wounds to lure us in," said Vio. "Watch your step—"

Blue yelped as his foot slipped out from under him. "Grab him!" Red cried as they took hold of Blue and pulled him onto the stone path.

"Everyone, freeze!" Green said as the clouds cleared a bit around them. Their path ended on a crumbling ledge, and dark iron spikes jutted from a few feet below. The path behind them broke away and smashed into the spikes. "We can't go anywhere now."

"But where did Vaati go?" asked Red.

"We've got another problem," said Vio. They peered over the edge and watched as the spikes rose to greet them.

Blue growled and pulled his hammer out from under his hat. He smashed at the spikes in front of him and yelled, "Back off! Get the point!?" A rock path snapped into place where the hammer struck.

"Do we really have to rely on puns now?" Vio wondered. Everyone ignored her.

"We can move forward now!" said Green.

"Way to go, Blue!" Red cheered as Blue smashed sections of spikes and let the group advance.

Blue struck a pose and laughed. "Look out, Vaati, here we come! There's nothing you've got that can stand up to the four of us!" The path rumbled and Blue fell on his rear.

Vaati's laughter echoed around them. **"How arrogant you are, little heroes. Don't you know that you're already in my hand?"** Vio looked around, searching for the demon. **"Focus on your steps, and you won't see the path!"** The stone they had started on branched out in five directions like the five fingers of a hand…

The path shattered as a gooey black hand flew out from under them and sent the heroes tumbling toward the ground far below…

 ***Meanwhile...***

The Tower of Winds was the same as ever. Princess Zelda sat on the sole piece of furniture, a sturdy wooden chair, and gazed at the endless miles of gray around her. The wind howled, sweeping through her frazzled blonde hair.

Next to her, between two pillars, energy began to hum and swoon. A large silver mirror zapped into the spot.

Zelda gasped in surprise and rose from her seat. "What is this…?" she murmured as she gazed into the oily surface. Realization hit her. "The dark mirror!" She stepped back.

The mirror began to ripple in turmoil, and a black hand slurped into the open. It hit the floor with a splat. A head appeared behind the arm, one with long, pointed ears, greasy hair, and a drooping hat.

"F-forgive me, Lord Ganon," the thing's voice trembled. "I don't want to go in the light anymore…"

 ** _You are NOT forgiven!_** A voice boomed from behind the mirror. **_But you still have your part to play. So rise again, shadow. While the dark mirror exists, you live. Now GO! Defeat the heroes!_**

The last of the thing slid out of the mirror and lay shivering on the stone. Pale skin and white tights were made visible, covered in oil slicks. His hair was longer and shaggier than ever, and his claws and fangs were prominent. He pushed himself up, groans and sobs escaping his lips.

Zelda looked down at him worriedly. Shadow Link's exhausted blue eyes glared at her. "What are _you_ looking at…? Beat it!" Zelda leaned to take his hand, but he turned away. "Get away from me!" Shadow rested on his knees and wrapped his arms around himself, still shivering. "I won't have your pity! Nothing hurts more… than pity! C-curse you!"

Zelda looked at him grimly. "Do you _really_ think the light will hurt you?" she asked. "Don't you see that _you_ are a Link, too? Deep inside, you're really a hero."

Shadow slowly raised his head and looked up at the princess.

A mass of clouds behind her billowed and turned black. They grew and began to wrap around Zelda like a hundred mindless pythons. "Help! L-Link…" she cried as her eyes closed.

"Dark Cloud, halt!" Shadow said shakily. "What are you doing with the princess?"

 _As Lord Ganon commands,_ the cloud rumbled. _With the heroes defeat, Princess Zelda will be the last light in Hyrule._ _A true world of darkness begins with her demise._

Shadow forced himself to stand and glared at the cloud, quavering. "I can't let you take her out of this room! Those are _my_ orders from Ganon!"

 _Are they now? Or perhaps you wish to keep her for yourself?_ The cloud began to part. _You shadows can be deceptive…_ _but you're also so easy to see through!_ Sunlight flashed through and glared into Shadow's eyes. He screamed and fell to his knees.

"Stop it!" he wailed. "I'm scared of the light!" The cloud thundered with laughter.

 _Get back to work, shadow hero. And remember, it's_ Lord _Ganon who protects you from the light!_ The cloud rolled into a solid mass and covered Zelda's face…

*Elsewhere…*

Several towers away, Green finally climbed onto a flat ledge. He'd been climbing for a while, having managed to find a foot-hold before he fell too far. How he didn't break his limbs, he would never know. "Just great," he panted. "I'm separated from everyone. Again." He wiped his brow and looked behind him. "But where could they-?"

"G… Green…" a voice moaned. Vio crawled out from behind a wall.

"Vio!" Green rushed to her side. Her hair threatened to fall out of her cap, and she seemed to be overheating from effort. "Are you hurt? Here, lean on me and hold still!"

She leaned against his shoulder and trembled. "I… I'm fine." She gasped for a few more seconds before looking up at Green. "Zelda's in danger! We need to act fast before the poison in the Dark Cloud kills her!"

"How do you know-?"

Vio pushed away from him. "I saw, okay? I just know."

"Green! Vio! Blue, they're over here!" Red and Blue hurried over to them. Vio pushed herself up and leaned heavily against the wall.

"Come on," she wheezed. "It's this way to the tower of winds!" She hurried as quickly as she could, the others following behind.

"Vio, are you sure you're alright?" Blue asked.

"Don't worry about me."

They reached an archway that lead to a series of thin round buildings sitting on clouds. Each tower had multiple archways, but there was no path connecting them. A small pedestal with a round dark stone stood in front of them.

"There's no way we can make it!" said Red.

Vio grunted as her sweaty hands slipped on the stone.

"You want to turn this?" Blue shifted the stone with ease. It clicked, and stone stairs jutted out of the towers to where they stood. "How'd you know that was there?" he asked.

"I… learned a lot from Shadow Link. Let's hurry!" They moved up the stairs, Green helping Vio.

A huge black hand stretched up from below the clouds and groped around the towers.

 **"** **Heroes…"** Vaati's voice echoed. **"Where did you go, little heroes? I'm going to fiiiind yooooouu…"**

"How can he reach us all the way up here?" Green whispered.

"He doesn't have a normal body," said Vio. "He's stretching himself as far as possible to find you—I mean us."

Red looked at her. "Are you sure you're fine?"

The tower smashed above them, pelting them with small boulders.

 **"** **You cannot escape me!"** Vaati roared. He was bigger than ever, with two huge arms on either side of his head.

"Vaati's weakness is the top of his head!" Vio cried. "Stab him in the head to beat him!"

Green leapt at the demon. "For Zelda!" he yelled as his Four Sword pierced Vaati's bulbous head. Vaati howled and began to deflate like a balloon.

"You did it! He's shrinking!" Red cheered. "If this keeps up, we'll beat him in no time!"

Vaati spun like a whirlpool, growing smaller and smaller… then he sprung back to his original size, tentacles wriggling everywhere.

 **"** **Do you really think that's all it takes to beat a demon?"** He snickered.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Blue grumbled. "Why won't he die?"

Suddenly, Vio ran up behind them. "Hey guys!" she said. "I got lost, but it was easy to find you again. Everyone okay?"

"Vio?!" Everyone yelped.

Green turned, "Then who's this?", but the other Vio was gone. "There was another Vio here, I swear!"

Vio looked at the spot with wide eyes. "No," she said quietly. "It couldn't have been… Shadow?"

 ***At that time…***

Shadow crawled slowly up the stairs. They walls around him crumbled and shook. "The dark mirror…" he panted. "As long as it exists, I'll be bound to Vaati and the darkness." A stone fell and cracked off his head, making him slide back. Blood dripped from his forehead. "I won't take this anymore!" he gasped.

The Links were losing the battle. Tendrils whipped around them, scraping their arms and legs. They were flung into the air, and Vaati opened his huge mouth full of shark teeth. A wind vortex began to pull them in.

Shadow crawled across the floor. He stood up. He grabbed Zelda's chair, and threw it into the dark mirror, and screamed.

* * *

Dun dun BwAaAaH! A cliffhanger! What will happen next? Tune in next Sunday to find out!

This, by far, is one of my favorite chapters. Shadow has so much to go through. Will it end well? You'll just have to see.

I know I set a poll on my profile, but I think I already know what I want to do next. I'm far from finished with the cult series, and I want to get back into it. The poll my help sway my decision, though, so vote now!

The exciting conclusion is coming! It's almost here, guys! Years of work, finally completed and displayed! Leave a review to tell me what you think, and I'll see you next week!


	12. The Four Sword Forever!

Penultimate chapter alert! Well, technically, it's the last _official_ chapter, to be followed by a bonus chapter. But you get the idea.

It's a little hard to believe. Years of work, about to be over. Over thirty thousand words and over eighty pages. Gone. Done. It's amazing what you can accomplish if you try hard enough. I kind of don't want it to be over yet, haha. What do you all think? Ponder that as you read, won't you?

* * *

Chapter 12: The Four Sword Forever!

The wind sucked force energy out of the Links swords as they tumbled into Vaati's gaping maw. There was little doubt that this was the end.

Without warning, the wind stopped short. The bewildered Links landed on a reforming cloud path, leading to the Tower of Winds.

Vaati trembled, his one eye flicking left and right. **"The power of darkness… where did it go?"** He began to fly around like a black balloon full of holes. **"I need that power or I'll shrink to nothing!"**

Shadow pushed against the back of the mirror, cuts on his face and hands from the glass. "Not… done… yet…" he wheezed.

Vaati shot by and shrieked, **"Shadow Link, what are you** ** _doing_** **?"**

Shadow chuckled darkly. "Who's in control now, Vaati? _Who?_ "

 **"** **But the mirror is your source of life, too!"**

"That's okay," said Shadow. "I came out of the dark mirror. With its power, I woke you. How fitting that I use it to destroy us _both!_ " He gave a final push, and the mirror crashed into the floor.

The Links reached the tower, Vio at the lead. "Shadow, no!" she cried.

Vaati slurped to a stop behind them, force gems pouring out of his skin like his oily blood. No one noticed.

Vio lay Shadow on his back and rested his head in her lap. "Shadow!" Vio cried again. "You idiot! Why!?"

Shadow blinked slowly. His breath was shallow. "Is… Vaati gone?" He murmured.

Vio forced a smile as her eyes began to water. "Yes. He's gone, thanks to you."

He looked at her groggily. "You're thanking _me_?"

" _You_ saved the day."

"Oh." His eyes started to close. "You're welcome…"

"Hold on, you're not leaving that easily!"

"A shadow…" Shadow began, "can only _follow_ a body. It can never lead the way." The Links frowned and lowered their gaze.

"Today I faced the enemy… on my own." Shadow breathed a laugh. "It felt pretty good. But that doesn't make me a part of the body…"

Vio brushed his cheek. "Of course it does. You're _our_ family."

Shadow looked into her eyes. He reached up slowly and pushed her cap off her head.

They kissed, and the sun began to peek from behind the clouds. The breeze was light, and as their lips parted, Shadow smiled as the real Link himself once smiled. He faded in the golden light, and all that remained were a few blue sparkles where his eyes had been. Vio cupped them in her hands and said quietly, "He's gone."

Green knelt and put his hand on her back. "Shadow was never really evil," he said. "He only made trouble so that we would notice him. He was tired of being ignored." He looked towards the sun. "He just wanted to be our friend." Vio's hands trembled.

Red gingerly removed something from his hat. "I… had this for a while, after the Erune episode…"

He handed her a thin glass vial with a cork stopper. It was tiny in her hand, only large enough to hold maybe an ounce of liquid. She popped the cork and carefully poured the sparkles into it. She recorked it and kissed it. Blue handed her her hat, which she placed on her head, pushing her hair and the bottle inside.

She stood with the other Links. "So… now what?" Blue asked.

"I don't know," Green replied.

"Isn't there supposed to be some sort of darkness behind Vaati?" Red asked.

"Yeah, he's- wait." Vio grabbed his shoulders. "You just jinxed it!"

The sun was covered again with black clouds. Lightning flashed and smashed a pillar next to them, the thunder coming a second later.

 ** _How pitiful,_** a voice boomed. **_The wind mage was ineffectual and the shadow was a traitor._**

Thump. Thump. _Thump._

The clouds molded and took the shape of a hog with a billowing cape and a wicked trident. **_How demeaning that I, Ganon, must squash these insects myself!_**

"It's the king of darkness!" Red cried. "How are we supposed to beat something like _that?_ "

Ganon raised his trident and shouted, **_Dark lightning will destroy the Four Sword!_**

Lightning fell and blasted the Links in every direction. They lay groaning and smoking on the charred stone floor.

 ** _Bugs!_** Said Ganon. **_Fleas! What fragile things you are! Give the Four Sword to me!_** Clouds wrapped around each sword and began to pull. **_It will be reformed as a sword of darkness and be a symbol of my empire!_**

"No!" Blue shouted.

Red followed, "The Four Sword will never…"

"…Fall into your hands!" Vio finished.

"Not while a hero still lives!" Green pulled his sword out of the cloud and pointed it at Ganon. Wind began to blow out from the tip. The same went for the other swords.

"Why…? Okay never mind, just blow away the dark clouds!" Vio shouted as they blasted wind at the dark lord. "Look up there!"

Something began to fall towards them. "It's Princess Zelda!" Blue cried.

Zelda blinked and looked down to them. "Now, Link!" she shouted. "Strike Lord Ganon down now!"

 ** _Foolish princess,_** Ganon rumbled. **_None of you have the power to defeat me!_**

"Then we'll combine our powers into one!"

She began to glow and shot a beam of white light at Ganon's throat. The heroes of the Four Sword put their swords together and did the same.

Ganon laughed. **_It's no use! My power is eternal! No matter how bright the light shines, darkness will always return!_** Ganon noticed that the heroes seemed to be getting closer to him. **_You're not driving me out, you're pulling me in! But where do you hope to contain my darkness?_**

The Links raised their swords even higher.

 ** _Insolent fools!_** Ganon roared as he was sucked closer. **_Pitiful insects like you cannot hold the king of darkness! My kingdom will shine forever… ever… ever…_**

He disappeared, distributed equally between each sword.

Zelda fell freely again toward the heroes, who were ready and caught her in time. She smiled and looked at Red. "Link!" She turned to see Green. "Link?" She looked at Blue and Vio. "Link, how come there are four of you?" she asked. "Which one is the real one?

"I am!" they shouted in unison. " _I'm_ the real Link, Princess Zelda!"

*Much, much later…*

Due to the time skipping shenanigans of manga writing schedules, Zelda and the four Links arrived once again at the Four Sword Sanctuary.

"It is time to return to return the Four Sword to its pedestal and seal the king of darkness away for all time," Zelda said.

"When we put the sword back," Green asked, "we'll just become one Link again, won't we?"

"Yes," Zelda replied.

Blue jumped in the air. "It's about time!" he cheered. His grin slid off his face and he lowered his gaze, sniffling.

"At least we won't fight anymore," Vio said.

Red began to sob. "I don't want to do it! I don't want you guys to go!"

Blue patted Red on the head. "Don't cry, Red, you dummy! We're not leaving, we're joining together!"

Red sniffed. "You mean…" He threw his arms around his blue hero. "We can be together _forever_?"

Blue pushed him away. "You're creeping me out again!" he whined as the others laughed.

They all stood around the pedestal, their swords ready.

"I will _never_ forget this journey," said Vio.

"Thanks for everything," said Blue.

"I love you all!" Red cried.

Green smiled. "Together… forever!"

The swords melded into one and sank into its proper resting place.

Zelda blinked at the four heroes. They all looked at each other in confusion. Green, who was closest to the sword, redrew it, and then put it back in. Nothing happened. He lifted it out one more time and shoved it in, nearly to the hilt. There was no getting it out now.

"Um," he said.

"Um," said everyone else.

"We should be one again, right?" Blue asked.

"Yeah," said Red.

"So why aren't we?"

"For the first time in a while," Vio said, "I don't know."

Zelda looked at them all slowly. "Perhaps the Four Sword recognizes each of you as your own person, equally deserving the chance to live your own path?"

"That's kind of unsettling," said Green, "knowing that we'll never be one again. But I suppose it's better than having the memories of four Links shoved into one. Who knows how that would have turned out?"

Vio blinked and reached into her hat. "Does this mean…?"

"What else could it mean?" Blue asked.

Red jumped into the air and gripped them all in a group hug. "We don't have to say goodbye!" he cheered.

Zelda frowned. "But, what about Link…?"

Blue patted her on the shoulder. "We're all Link," he said. "Just because we're four people doesn't mean Link is gone. He's in each of us…" He pushed her toward Green. "Maybe more in some than in others." Green blushed.

"I thought I told you to stop reading my rom coms," Vio said. Blue glared at her.

"When do you think I had the time to read your trashy scripts, Bookworm?"

"Whenever she was asleep," Red said helpfully.

Blue smacked him in the head. "I told you to keep that a secret!" he snapped.

Zelda raised her hands. "Perhaps we should save this for when we get back to the castle," she said. "We'll have to explain to the first knight how he has three sons and a daughter now..."

* * *

Hooray, happy endings! I'm a sucker for 'em. Not that the manga ending was bad, but everyone loves post Four Swords shenanigans! Not that there's much of that that next chapter, but you'll see when we get there.

Vio and Shadow finally kissed! I wanted to make that scene really enjoyable and sweet, and I hope I accomplished that!

Next time, a conclusion! I hope you don't plan to settle down for that one, because it's pretty short. But that just means that now is as good a time as any to tell you that my poll is still up on my profile, and I need your thoughts!

So, what now? Review, of course! Tell me what you thought, and I'll see you next Sunday. Tchau!


	13. Of Weddings and Tied Loose Ends

Final chapter alert! For realsies, this time!

It's come to an end at last, this story of mine. I'd like to say a few words, but I don't really have any. I guess I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this story for putting forth the love and effort to send me validation. All four of you. Yeah.

So I guess, without further ado, here is the bonus chapter.

* * *

Bonus Chapter: Of Weddings and Tied Loose Ends

As it turns out, Link's father was okay with all of this. Sure, he was more cowardly in the beginning than most would have liked, due to the misreading of a line of dialogue by the writer, but this did not make him unloving and cruel, as the writer originally planned before realizing that would take forever to write and would probably be on the receiving end of complaints. His heart grew five sizes that day, and he was glad to have an even bigger family to love. Despite his first concerns about Vio being a knight, he soon learned that she was just as capable as the other knights, probably more so.

Zelda was a little uncomfortable with the whole shebang, and distracted herself by rebuilding the castle. The Links would come to say good morning to the princess each day, though Green himself would stay longer and come to say good night as well. When the castle was done and she could hide no longer, Zelda would join the heroes almost daily for picnics in the wildflower field. The bandits had been disposed of when the darkness came, so Zelda's work was much lighter (punning aside). Zelda began to see that, indeed, Link was in all of the heroes, and they were all of Link. Though, as Blue had said, he was perhaps more dominant in some than in others. She began to spend more and more time with Green. One day, some two years after the defeat of darkness, she and Green went to the birch tree that they had climbed long ago when they were children. It was there that Green fulfilled the second half of his promise to her, and asked to be her prince. Zelda said yes, and Hyrule rejoiced at the union of Green Link and Zelda of Hyrule. They would rule together justly for many years to come.

Blue and Red had some confusion with each other. Same sex marriage was fine in Hyrule, as it was in many ancient empires, but there was the issue of determining whether or not they could be together due to being from the same person. They spoke to the Princess, to Green and Vio, to their father, even to each other. A few weeks after Ganon, they had a long feels jam in a closet that lead to their first kiss. They decided that they were their own persons, as the Four Sword had determined. They fought occasionally, but they would always work it out in a day or two. A week, at most, and that was because Red got stuck in a tree and couldn't get down until Blue found him and apologized. About a year after that, they were the first of the heroes to be wed.

And now, of course, Violet Link. She studied whenever she could, and became a favorite with the many scholars in Hyrule. She would train, strategize, and spy on people, but she never lost sight of her hopes and goals. She had said it before, and it wouldn't be different now. She began an apprenticeship with a wizard from the purple maiden's village, which was fairly close to Castle Town, and there she would take out the sparkles in her test tube and read through the many texts on the revival of beings. Shadow Link, being from the dark world, was different than other spells that promised to (unsuccessfully) raise the dead. Fortunately, the spell she needed was much easier and actually effective. She dropped the tube into a small bowl of her tears, which she had collected nightly in her room, lit the five candles around it, and prayed to the goddesses. Shadow Link appeared after months of waiting, standing in the light that came through a window. Sometime after Green and Zelda's wedding, they were finally married.

The End


End file.
